Tale 10: The Princess and the Shepherd's Flute (Ash)


"Now that Brock's had a turn with an instrument in a tale, I'll feature my own for my next tale." Ash muses before beginning "In a far away land, there lived a princess named Emi..."

"Pini!" Happini cheers in anticipation of a princess tale.

"Princess Emi was renowned for her beauty and wisdom, so much so that she not only attracted thousands of suitors in her homeland, but around the world as well." Ash continues. He stifles a giggle at Brock dreamily visualizing his idea of what Princess Emi looks like.

Misty snaps him back to reality with the Look. "You can daydream later, okay?"

"Okay! I'm listening!" Brock frantically yelps. "Go ahead, Ash."

Ash thinks for a moment as to where he is in his tale, then continues. "Emi was very friendly with those she knew well, but when it came to marriage, not a single one of the many princes, kings, and emperors was good enough for her. This made the king and the queen very frustrated, so one day, after she had refused her umpteenth suitor, they asked her why she kept refusing suitors."

"So why was she refusing all those princes, kings, and emperors?" Misty asks.

"It turned out that Princess Emi was torn between three boys, and worried that if she married one, she would not stop thinking about the other two." Ash replied. "The king proposed that there be a contest, and whoever won it would have Princess Emi's hand in marriage. Princess Emi loved the idea, and word was sent to every man in the land."

"What kind of contest was it?" Brock wonders.

"I'm getting to that." Ash assures his friend. "Meanwhile, not far from the city lived a young shepherd-we'll call him Kenji--who lived with his mom. Every morning, he would take his most cherished possession--a small silver flute..." Ash pauses to take a silver tin whistle with a green mouthpiece from his bag. "and drive his flocks to a valley at the foot of a mountain. Once in the valley, he would keep a watchful eye on the Mareeps from the shade of a tree, playing his flute all the while." He plays a peaceful melody to illustrate his point.

"Bravo!" Misty leads the applause.

Ash acknowledges his applause, then continues. "Kenji's mom told him that his flute was special, because it had been carved from a branch of a sacred tree long ago. He wondered if the legend of the sacred tree was true, and if so, what powers his flute held. But the thought closest to him was falling in love with a lady as wise as she was beautiful." With that, he plays the love song "Ah, Roshin" for effect.

More applause goes up when the song ends. "You still haven't told us what the contest for Princess Emi was." Brock reminds Ash.

"Back at the palace, many suitors listened as the king explained the rules." Ash continued. "He planned to shoot a Leppa Berry with one of Princess Emi's rings inside towards the mountains--and whoever found this Leppa Berry would have Princess Emi's hand in marriage."

"That sounds fair to me." Misty muses.

"So the king made his shot..." Ash pantomimes shooting a bow. "and the ground rumbled with Ponyta hooves as the hundreds of suitors left on their quest. But one by one, they returned empty handed, including the three that Princess Emi favored."

"Pini?" Happini asks.

"Pika pika?" Pikachu agrees.

"In the valley, Kenji watched over his Mareeps, playing his flute all the while." Ash continues. He plays the reel "The Arrow's Flight" for effect, then continues. "He was about to start another song, when suddenly, a Leppa Berry landed at his feet. He presumed the berry was a gift from Celebi or Shaymin as thanks for his music, and decided to have it for a snack. But he bit into something hard--an emerald ring!"

"And then?" Misty is excited.

"Kenji told his mom what had happened, and it wasn't long before word reached the palace as well." Ash concludes. "When Kenji and Emi saw each other for the first time, they fell madly in love. They were married not long after, and Kenji always played the flute for Emi as a sign of his love."

"Pretty clever, Ash!" Misty smiles as she applauds.

"The whistle's a nice touch as well." Brock agrees. Ash just grins and takes a bow...

(The real tale is based on a Persian tale named "The Sacred Flute" (availiable on Google Books))