Disclaimer: Not mine! Intelligent Systems + Nintendo. Also, most of the dialogue is from their support conversations, so that's not mine either.
Vanessa hurriedly landed Titania on the ground, dismounting in a leap. Running to where the prone figure lay, she turned the body over, looking for signs of a wound. Placing her ear next to his heart, she sighed with relief when she heard a steady beat. She had never talked to the man before, but she knew that he was one of Eirika's retainers, and had heard that he was invaluable to the cause.
"Hey!" she shook him. "Are you hurt? Are you alright?" She didn't see any visible injuries, but she knew that he could have been concussed, or even worse, poisoned – the smallest scratch could leave the strongest man lying inert in a matter of seconds, depending on how strong the poison was.
She shook him harder, and was awarded with a response. "Zzzzzzzzzz…"
"Huh?" she stepped back, surprised. Taking a closer look at him, she realized that his relaxed form did not look anything like the stiff, paralyzed, bodies suffering from toxin paralysis that she'd seen before. Of course, his limp muscles could be the result of a concussion, but…there it was again!
"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…"
Unbelievable! He was actually sleeping on the battlefield.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Vanessa yelled. "Sleeping while a war is waging? Bold warrior, it's time to wake up! Hey! Lazybones! Get Up!" She furiously dumped half a bottle of water on him, certain that it would wake him up. Instead, he groggily shook his head, and muttered incoherently.
"Snargleblagh…hmph?" He semi-consciously wiped his face with a sleeve, then went back to sleep. "Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..."
"Oh boy…" she stamped a foot in disgust and turned to her Pegasus. "Come on, let's go, Titania. It's clear that Mr. Slug here needs his beauty rest."
Almost immediately after she had flown off, Vanessa began to feel guilty. "What if the enemy spots him? He's completely defenseless as is. If he dies, it's my fault for not trying harder to wake him up. Or I could have at least taken him onto Titania and dropped him off into safer territory. I better go back and check to see if he's okay now…"
Having resolved to help the sleeping knight errant, Vanessa wheeled Titania around and headed back to the spot where she last saw him.
There was nobody there. The fresh green grass that had been where he lay had already begun to spring back up.
"Huh. Maybe that water did wake him up," she muttered to herself. She checked the nearby areas for blood, just in case he had been ambushed and dragged off, but saw no signs of a struggle. Shrugging her shoulders, she flew off once more.
After that battle had been won, Vanessa saw him again, at the supply tent.
"Oh, look who's actually awake today," she remarked, still a little irked at his carelessness.
"Hm?" He cocked his head, confused.
She felt foolish. Right! He still hadn't met her yet, since during their first encounter he had been asleep.
"You must be one of Frelia's Pegasus knights," he guessed.
"I'm Vanessa," she said by way of introduction.
"Yeah, that's right. Vanessa. I'm Forde. Nice to meet you. By the way, what do you mean by me being awake?"
"Just the other day, I was flying by and saw you lying on the ground. I thought you were hurt, but when I got closer, I saw you were just sleeping! I couldn't believe my eyes. I was so disgusted that I just left you there. But then, I started to worry that some enemies might spot you, so I went back. By the time I got back to where you had been, you were already gone," she explained.
He grinned cheekily. "I catch them off guard that way and attack. That's my strategy. Clever, isn't it?"
She skeptically rolled her eyes and scoffed, trying her best to suppress the giggle that was threatening to bubble out. "I seriously doubt that."
He threw his shoulders back and laughed heartily. "But really, thanks for your concern."
She glanced at him critically. "You don't really stress or plan much, do you? So different from our prince…"
"The Prince of Frelia? Ah, you must mean Prince Innes. I think he's almost a hundred percent stress. But I'm sure he's also quite the ladies' man. I bet you have a crush on him, too. You're blushing so I must have hit a nerve!"
She blushed even harder and turned her face away from him, annoyed that her face gave her emotions away so easily. "I-I don't! I didn't say anything!"
He continued on, though he added a teasing tone to his voice to let her know she was joking. "A romance between a prince and his knight? What scandal! What intrigue! It's all right, though. You can love anyone you like. You must have lots of competition, seeing how he's a prince. It's much easier to date someone you can be yourself around. Someone like, say, me would be ideal for you. What do you say?"
Shocked at this sudden turn of events, her eyes widened. "Um…We've known each other for the best of five minutes, and you're already…?" she trailed off into a question. Her mouth set into a determined line. This guy clearly wasn't taking her seriously. "Let's go, Titania. We've wasted enough time here."
As she hurried off, she heard him call out to her. "Hey! Vanessa! You don't have to run away like that!" A pause, then when he realized she wasn't coming back, "OK, see you! Watch out for those archers!"
A week later from that day, Syrene cornered her.
"Okay, sis. I've been meaning to ask you for a while, but you always seem to be avoiding me. Where's your appetite gone recently?"
Vanessa started. She hadn't noticed it herself, but now that she thought about, there was food leftover on her plate after every meal, and she never asked for seconds anymore. "Well, I've just been –" Not hungry, she wanted to add, but Syrene cut in.
"I told you Vanessa, I know you too well." She tapped the side of her nose conspiratorially. "Don't worry, I can keep a secret. So who's the lucky guy?"
Vanessa balked. "What? That's just crazy! I don't know what you're talking about!"
Syrene smiled knowingly. "You know I can tell when you're lying. Plus, you not eating is a dead giveaway. I mean, when's the last time you said no to a cookie? It's not a criticism. One of your most charming qualities is how you can outeat anyone. It's because of someone special, isn't it?"
She bit her lip and fidgeted. "Well, um…" Confused, she realized that instead of Innes, Forde's image was the first that came to mind.
Syrene straightened up and looked sternly at her sister. "But, Vanessa, first and foremost you have got to take care of yourself. I'll support you no matter what, but nobody's worth losing your health over!"
"Thanks, I guess. I'll do my best…" Mentally scolding herself, she thought of Innes, and how she'd harbored that unrequited crush for many long months. "Sometimes I think that if I were more like you – you know, all-around perfect, I'd have a better chance with him…Hmmm. That sounded less pathetic in my head than it did out loud." If she was more like Syrene…maybe Innes would notice her.
"Don't be silly, Vanessa. You may not know it, but I'm sure that person likes you for who you are. I'm very proud of you, and you should be more confident in yourself."
She smiled. "I'll try my best. Thanks, capta – I mean, sis. Take care." They'd gone their separate ways, and Vanessa promised herself that she would get over this silly infatuation with Forde.
Fighting alongside Eirika one day, during a break between skirmishes, Vanessa asked her what was the big deal about Forde. "Oh? He's actually quite useful. He's got an eye for the strategic, and he tries to figure out the weakest points in our formations. He'll put himself in the most dangerous spots and take risks in order to keep others safe. He'll also make sure you're far away from any archers the enemy has."
Oh, even better. Vanessa sighed. Apparently, Forde was an unsung hero, and his facetious attitude covered a caring and courageous interior. She didn't know what to think, and tried to push all thoughts of him from her head. "Maybe if I don't think about this crazy infatuation, it'll just go away," she thought.
Vanessa groaned. She'd run into Forde again, and she still hadn't properly sorted out her feelings about him. Best to be upfront with him, she supposed. "Hey. I think I misunderstood you, before."
He scratched his head, confused. "Yeah? So you understand me now?"
"I guess so. You've been working for all of us, from behind-the-scenes, haven't you?
Vanessa saw understanding dawn in his eyes. "Yes! But don't worry about that, I'm used to that sort of misunderstanding."
"Well, yes…but still, I would like to apologize and say thank you."
He smiled. "Sure, apology accepted, it wasn't a big deal anyway. Say, what about all that other stuff we talked about?"
"What do you mean?" she asked, deciding that the best course of action would be to feign ignorance.
He stared seriously at her, completely losing his previous joking manner. "Am I too far a cry from a prince?"
Vanessa fidgeted. "Quick, stall for time!" she thought. "Um…."
He looked at her intensely. "I felt an aura…"
"Aura? What are you talking about?" She glanced at him curiously.
"Everyone has an aura. Some are cold, others can inspire others, heal hurt and pain, spread courage. When you first saw me, asleep, I was dreaming of running across a field. I felt this warm breeze engulf me, blowing across my face like a summer wind. I felt…safe. It must have been your aura that made me feel that way."
"My…aura?" Vanessa wasn't sure how to take this unexpected compliment.
Seeing her confused and wary look, Forde decided to slip back to easier, safer topics. "But then again, it might have been that lukewarm water you dumped on my head."
She blushed. "You…!"
A week from that day, Vanessa finally realized what he had been talking about. His aura was like a gentle rainfall – playful and beautiful on the outside, yet calming and relaxed in nature. She'd told him so, and he smiled a genuine smile. "I knew you would get it eventually."
After the war had ended, he proposed.
Vanessa had initially refused. After all, her first duty was to her prince and her country she had sworn fealty to. To leave Frelia would be to desert her country.
He persisted, undeterred. "We can stay in Frelia," he said. "I'll compromise." He smiled winningly.
Six months later, they were wed.
A/N: Vanessa = second favorite Sacred Stones character, after Joshua. VanessaxForde = favorite pairing! :D I don't usually write fluff, but they're sooo cute and I couldn't resist. Reviews appreciated!