Hey guys and welcome to my newest fic, The Order of Darkrai!

For starters I want to make one thing really clear so I won't get flamed too badly: I don't ship May with Ash. Part of this is frustration over May and Drew which is petty but it just bugs me. He treats her bad and she still falls for him, but whatever I will never understand women (trust me I have tried). The reason I am writing this is because I like the idea of the whole Princess of Hoenn angle people go with. I like medieval styles people put into fan fictions and I wanted to try my hand at it. It will also take time for the romance to begin to I ask you to BE PATIENT! Normally I ship Ash with Serena, Misty or Annabel. But for this fic it will be May all the way so sorry everyone who expects amourshipping. I hope you can look past it and enjoy a hopefully good story and fun ride.

Ok another thing before we get started. This is a preview and chapters will not be added on to it until I finish my fanfic, Battles of the Past. If you haven't read that yet go ahead and skip on over to it and give it a try. Please feel free to review and be honest with your thoughts. If you like something then tell me, if you hate something tell me that too or advice you have.

Now, sit back, relax and enjoy The Order of Darkrai!

Chapter 1

He dashed through the forests searching for a way to lose his tail. He ran through bushes, across open fields and around trees but he could still hear the bandits chasing after him. Every once in a while an arrow would careen pass, missing its mark barely each time. He chuckled at the attempts of his pursuers. He ran with the gold still in his possession until he came to a tree line and found himself cut off by a cliff that separated the two sides of the canyon with a raging current flowing at the bottom.

He turned to face the men who were after him. The group of bandits came out of the shadows of the trees one by one. There were five total and the collective smell of whiskey and a lack of personal hygiene made the figure groan in agony, as his senses seemed to be tortured.

"Aye laddie you took something from us and we want it back," the leader of the group said as his men tentatively approached the mysterious stranger in front of them. "We don't want any trouble. Give us the gold and we may just let you live." He chuckled as he slowly brought a crossbow out, pointed at the dark figure.

The young man smirked and slowly began to step backwards, closing the distance between himself and the edge of the cliff.

"Don't do anything stupid now boy-o," the bandit said as a worried expression began to cross his face.

The young man took a quick a glance towards the cliff and began to smirk. He turned to his adversaries. "Too late," and with that the figure spread out his arms from his body and let himself fall of the edge of the cliff.

The five men ran from where they were to the edge of the divide to see the fate of the young man and their prized gold. When they got to the edge a sudden gust of air blew them onto their backs as a giant brown and tan bird with orange and yellow plumage on its brow and tail flew up from the cliff's edge and into the air above. While they were still on the ground they could see a figure falling from the back of the bird and landing in front of them.

They picked themselves up off the ground to see the young man with raven hair and auburn eyes they had been chasing standing in front of them. He wore a raggedy green hoody with a white shirt underneath with brown pants that were a bit torn and stained with black boots. This time he carried with him a rapier in his hand and a bow with a quiver full of arrows slung across his back that had not been there before.

"Now I think the fight is more than equal," he said smirking as he turned his body towards the group, sticking his sword out as to challenge the group to a duel.

"Alright boy-o that is the last straw. We tried to be reasonable with ya but now ya gone and signed your own death warrant. Get 'em boys!"

The group attacked the young man. The first bandit took out a small dagger. He ran at the figure with the intent of stabbing him through the chest. The man used his sword to hit the dagger hand upwards as the off hand punched the man in the face. The man began to fall but not before the swordsman grabbed him. He positioned the body in front of him as a shield from two arrows that pierced the first assailant's chest and midsection. The swordsman then pushed the body to his left to stop a second assailant before ducking the sword of a third who came from his right. Turning on the ground so he now faced the third assailant, he stabbed his sword through the man's midsection.

Turning back, he noticed the second would-be killer, who had finally freed himself from his fallen comrade, was already in mid swing with his sword. The swordsman took a deep breath and his eyes began to glow an intense blue. For the swordsman time began to slow down. He focused energy into his left hand, which also turned blue. He took his hand and moved it from right to left as the swing came down, deflecting the sword and leaving the wielder vulnerable. With the swing averted the swordsman swung his now freed rapier and slashed the bandit crossed the chest.

A quick jump and roll to avoid the second volley of arrows put him next to his first victim. He grabbed the dagger out of the corpses grasp and gave it a flick. The dagger found its mark, imbedding itself within one of the bowman's forehead. The man let out a groan before falling to his knees and then the ground with a thud. One more roll and the swordsman was on a knee, bow in hand and arrow already nocked. His eyes set on his final target, the leader of the bandits.

"Come on now boy-o, we didn't mean anything by it," the leader said as he let go of his crossbow and put his hands in the air. "You got what you wanted. I won't make any more trouble for ya. We can all just forget this entire thing happened."

"Too late," the figure said as he let the arrow fly from the bow. The bandit had no time to run before the arrow impaled him through the chest and stuck out the other side. The body fell and hit the ground.

The figure got up from his kneeling position, slung his bow onto his back and sheathed his sword before turning to the tree line, not looking back to the carnage that he left behind.

"Cutting it a little close don't ya think?" he asked as the bird pokémon landed in front of him. The bird squawked in amusement at its master.

On its back sat two other pokémon. One was a fox like pokémon that stood on two feet. It was primarily blue with a tan midsection and black paws. The other was a small yellow mouse pokémon with red cheeks, three black stripes on its back and brown on the base of its lightning bolt shaped tell. The mouse jumped on its master's shoulder with a coo of delight. This caused the figure to chuckle as the pokémon rubbed its cheek against his.

"You were in no real danger master," the fox like pokémon stated nonchalantly.

"You flatter me with your confidence, Lucario," the man said with a chuckle.

"Well you have proven it in the past. You are the greatest Aura Guardian in Rota and the world, master," the pokémon responded.

"I'm the only Aura Guardian in Rota and the world," he said blankly before jumping on the back of the bird pokémon. "Come on Lucario, Pikachu, Pidgeot, let's go home," with that the bird pokémon jumped into the air and began soaring through the skies towards their next destination.

•••••

Rota was not a big kingdom but for Ash and his pokémon it was home. Ash was riding back from his latest mission atop his faithful bird, Pidgeot. While most people chose either Rapidashes or Ponytas to travel among the different realms, he had chosen the skies. He had the bird pokémon ever since it was a small Pidgey, injured and afraid. He had found the bird on the floor of the forests outside of Rota. The newborn was unable to fly and Ash had not been able to find its original nest and decided to adopt it as a member of his family. The two quickly became friends and Pidgeot had grown to the mighty bird it was today. To accommodate its master it wore a leather breastplate that didn't hinder its movements. On the back the leather formed a saddle where Ash could sit along with pouches to carry supplies and other important objects. Soring with Pidgeot through the air always gave Ash a sense of freedom before returning to his life on the ground and the world in which he lived.

As the bird pokémon soared over a range of mountains the small kingdom of Rota came into view. Ash sighed as he viewed his home. It was a small kingdom nestled in the northern mountains of the Kanto region. While the kingdom was small its location gave it some protection. It consisted of a few villages scattered along the mountainside but the real heart of the kingdom was found in Rota City and Cameran Palace.

Rota City was located in a valley between two ridges of the mountainous area, nestled on the banks of a vast lake. The city was not very big and most would consider it a larger town rather than a small city. It had no real walls except for those that came naturally from the surrounding forests. The streets were always filled with happiness and songs of joy. The people lived in happiness and Rota was known for its wealth, as it was located in the middle of many important trade routes through the mountainous region. The past few years had been hard on the kingdom as its wealth slowly began to drift away but still the people sang with joy, never worrying about the safety they enjoyed.

The real pride of the Kingdom of Rota was Cameran Palace. In the middle of the lake stood a massive island and the ancestors of the people of Rota had begun their kingdom there. The palace had two roads connecting to it so it was accessible from either side of the town. The beautiful castle was made by marble from nearby quarries and shown bright in the noonday sun. Its roofs were a bright red that contrasted with the marble walls of the castle well. The walls of the palace were legendary for their impenetrability. They were thick and high providing great protection for those that were housed within. The halls were lined with tapestry telling the story of the kingdom and the roofs were painted with murals depicting the legendary Aura Guardians and pokémon of the region. Crystal chandeliers dotted the areas that were not adorned with painting. The gardens of the magnificent palace made the color of the paintings inside look dull and faded. The colorful flowers gave off radiant pigments and the aroma brought pleasure to those that walked among their beauty.

To everyone else the kingdom was the definition of beauty and serenity but for Ash it emitted the essence of a prison. He felt confined to the small kingdom, trapped within the walls of the palace he called home. He was the last remaining Aura Guardian and he should not have even been alive. His life broke many pacts and treaties made by the kingdom following a war that almost caused its very destruction. The kingdom was caught in the middle of two powerful rivals, vying for land. To protect themselves the army of the small kingdom made a stand but was wiped out as the rivals were bent on destroying each other. The Guardians were destroyed but not before the greatest of them sacrificed everything to bring peace to his home. Sir Aaron sacrificed himself but in doing so also left the kingdom with no Guardian. The two armies had killed the others and the three powers of the land took this time to strip what little power Rota had. No Guardians were ever again allowed to grace the halls of Cameran Palace.

Ash's very existence was breaking this treaty so he was kept in the shadows. He was exiled to the west wing, the home of the Aura Guardians and Sir Aaron. The wing had been abandoned following the dissolution of the Guardians and no one dare enter its hallowed grounds. Few people knew he lived although many knew him as the Huntsman.

Ash descended and once on the ground hopped off his loyal bird. Before heading into the palace he stripped his pokémon of its saddle and fed it berries and nuts as a thank you for its hard work. Ash headed into the palace with Lucario and Pikachu in tow. As he entered he saw a young man with brown hair and similar in age to him, about sixteen, dressed in knight's armor and sitting behind a desk writing on a piece of paper. Ash took the bag of gold he had captured from the bandits he had hunted down and plopped it on the desk before falling down and taking a seat on a nearby couch. Pikachu sat itself on its master's lap as Lucario found a spot to lean against the wall.

"Well I must admit Ash you got here sooner than I expected," the young teenager said as he took his eyes off his writing to examine the bag and the tired young man laying on the couch. "Sir Harrison of Pewter City will be glad to know that his gold has been found."

"Yeah, yeah can it Ritchie," Ash responded. "Next time tell the baron to take better care of his possessions."

"Well I don't think it is quite fair to say he was irresponsible," Ritchie began. "After all it's not everyday that bandits come and overpower your best armed couriers," the boy chuckled.

"Yeah well he should have fixed his own mistake," Ash spat out his response. "I'm sick of being the equivalent of a whore to the wealthiest buyers in need of extra muscle or a little bit of stealth."

"Well look at the bright side Ash: the legend of the Huntsman grows."

"Yeah and that is all I am: a legend. I haven't been outside the walls of this god forsaken palace for more than a few hours for anything besides a mission since I was ten," Ash began as his voice changed from the powerful bravado of a harden veteran to the sad, sobering voice of an unhappy soul. "You, at least, get to experience the outside world between missions. You get praised for being the next great knight to bless the kingdom, to take on your father's role as Captain of the Palace Guards when you come of age. Me? I get talked about in the local pubs at night when drunken sailors begin to tell ghost stories after they have had one too many."

Ritchie knew of Ash's struggles. He was, in some ways, Ash's only true friend. They had grown up together and although Ash was an orphan, Ritchie's parents took him in as if he was their own, telling them of the great bond they had shared with Ash's parents before the war. They grew up like brothers, inseparable until the day that Ash started to exhibit signs that he could use aura. That was on his 10th birthday and since then Ritchie had barely seen him. That was six years ago. Ash had changed so much since then.

They had planned to go into the Palace Guards together but now Ash hated each time he was summoned to meet before Ritchie's father. The fun loving, easy going persona that once emanated from the boy was replaced by a darker, malevolent character that would do anything to get the job done. Ritchie had seen the carnage that Ash would leave behind first hand as the escorts he would be charged to protect would walk into the path of failed would-be ambushes cleared out by his friend. Ash rarely left survivors in his wake, but those that did manage to survive talked of a figure that stalked them as if he were a wild animal on the hunt for its prey. Thus Ash became known as the Huntsman, a mercenary for hire to the highest bidder, within reason.

While Ash may have grown dark since their childhood Ritchie still saw the same kind soul deep inside. Ash would not take out hits on anyone, no matter how evil or corrupt the target was and only used violence when absolutely necessary. It was part of the morals of the Guardians and although many of their traditions were lost, Ash still maintained their moral code.

"I know it's hard for you Ash, but you know the kingdom needs the money from the various jobs you take on," Ritchie looked to his friend with a smile on his face. "Without your jobs the kingdom would not be able to pay Norman the tribute each year."

"The tribute increases each year and each year we lose trade routes with more people seeking to pass through the Orange Archipelagos rather than cross the mountains," Ash stated, looking towards the ceiling. "You and I both know it won't be long until we become just another part of Giovanni's vast Kanto Empire."

"Better him than Norman," Ritchie chuckled.

"Yeah no shit," Ash laughed back before taking on a serious expression. "You know that if that does indeed happen, I can't come back. I can't see you again. Right?"

"Let's leave the future in the future and deal with today," Ritchie said, trying to get his friend's mind off the subject and back onto something a little less depressing. Deep down Ritchie knew Ash was right. Ever since the fall of the Guardians, Rota held no power. The kingdom relied on a weak treaty with the mighty Hoenn Kingdom for protection. The treaty ensured the safety of the kingdom from an invasion but sacrificed the monetary safety of its people in exchange.

He sighed as he saw that his friend wasn't going to respond to his comment as the boy just remained on the couch staring at the ceiling.

"Well then let's see who wants the services of the Huntsman today shall we?"

"Do I really have a choice?" Ash muttered.

"Looks like the daughter of Sir and Lady Waterflower of Cerulean needs extra protection as she travels to a ball being held at Viridian Castle in the upcoming weeks," Ritchie said as he eyed his friend for a response to the potential job.

"You know as well as I do that she doesn't need added help with guard duty," Ash looked at his friend with an annoyed expression on his face. "Ever since I returned her Togepi to her Misty has had a slight crush on me. No that's not a job for a hired sword, that's a job for a. . . Help me out here Ritch. The word for a fancy hooker?"

"An escort?"

"Yes one of those. Not my cup of tea," Ash said as his vision returned to the ceiling above.

"Well what about this one, gathering intelligence for Sir Surge in Vermillion City?" Ritchie suggested.

"Please. The old pervert only wants intel on Lady Erika of Celadon Castle," Ash commented with a huff. "The only thing he wants to invade is her panties. No, if he wants to know anything like that then he can send his own men to do it."

"You know you are making it difficult for anyone to work with you Ash," Ritchie said trying to sound as if he was fed up with his old friend.

"Hey man, if you want to hire the best you gotta have the best jobs and the best pay," Ash responded as he smiled from his position on the couch.

"What is it with you and not taking any jobs that revolve around romance in any sort of way?" Ritchie asked curiously.

"Come on now," Ash began. "You know my take on romance. It isn't needed in my line of duty. If I get emotionally involved I could lose objectivity and make stupid decisions in battle costing me the mission or even my life. It was one of the first things I read in the Aura Guardian manuscripts."

"Yeah but everyone deserves love," Ritchie responded to his friend's pessimism.

"Yeah everyone who lives in the light of day. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a thing with a loud mouthed archer from New Bark Town."

"Casey and I are not a thing," Ritchie shouted in his defense. "It was a one time fling on a mission and that was it. It was a long travel protecting a mark and things happened but we are not a couple!"

"Could have fooled me with all the letters you've been sending each other via Pidgey courier," Ash said with a playful tone in his voice.

"How did you know about those?" Ritchie asked with a look of shock on his face.

Ash began to laugh, "I didn't but I do now."

Ritchie was about to launch from his chair towards his friend before a Pidgey flew through the window into the room with a letter tied to its leg. Ritchie read over the letter intently. He scanned it multiple times. He made sure that he had read the letter correctly. It was rare that this sort of thing was asked.

"I see you got another letter from your girlfriend," Ash said with a smirk.

"No," Ritchie began slowly. "It's a letter requesting your presence with the Queen right a way." Ritchie said with a look of shock. His look was mirrored in the expression of his friend.

The Queen rarely asked Ash to come into her presence unless it was urgent. Something must have been serious. The boys got up from their seats and ran through the halls towards the throne room and the waiting Queen Rin of Rota.