Fable 3 is epic but Mr Finn didn't get enough love!
Nor was he romancable. Catastrophe if you ask me.
So here's my little tribute to what I think should've happened between Finn and the Princess.
Set after the game events with some flashbacks :)
Disclaimer: Lionhead owns everything but my new plot. If I did own everything I'd be a Hero right now, romancing a certain rapscallion soldier ;)
He's a tramp but I love him.
Alice. The Princess, the Hero-Princess, the Saviour of Albion stared out of the window with a half-hearted sigh, her head resting on her palm. A year ago Albion had been saved and she'd somehow managed to amass a personal fortune enough to save everyone. Everyone but Walter. As usual tears arrived unbidden when thinking about her old mentor, father-figure instead of the absentee Hero father life had given her.
"Your majesty…" Hobson, her aide as Jasper was ensconced in the wonder of the Sanctuary, interrupted her musings with his extremely annoying voice. She was considering firing him partly because of his voice but partly because of his odd preoccupation with the money in the Treasury. Although he was incredibly good at managing the accounts of her real estate and many businesses.
"Hobson." The Princess sighed again not even bothering to turn from the beautiful view beyond her window despite not feeling any joy from it, "find me a new aide. I'd prefer it if you managed the Treasury. You're so incredibly good with money." She knew how to flatter him and, as predicted, Hobson got into a terrible flurry of excitement at the thought of getting his grubby paws on the pile of gold languishing in the Treasury, "but what did you want to tell me first?" Hobson never spoke to her unless he was showing her one of his infernal schedules, some unexpected visitor had arrived or if he wanted something. It was usually the first and the last; no one ever dared unexpectedly visit the Queen because they all deemed themselves unworthy.
Kalin usually sent a courier ahead of her arrival because it took so long to reach Albion. Sabine rarely visited unless he wanted to blow things up. Page would visit when asked or if there was a particular city problem that could only be dealt with by the Queen. Page had, at first, refused to tell her of any city things, thinking it too trivial for her but she had asked for it as she preferred the headquarters of the Bowerstone Resistance to anywhere else. She'd been useful there, among the people, whilst in the castle she felt like nothing but an imposter.
Captain Obvious, so called because he often pointed out treasure that she had already seen, was her only ever-there friend which really wasn't much help because he was a dog and not a terribly amazing conversationalist. And then there were the children she allowed to play in the castle and gardens with her, to help ease her loneliness and need for human contact. Although the maternal feeling was amazing it couldn't slake the need for another kind of human contact.
She didn't really want to mention the other person who she'd grown close to during her time as the Rebel Princess. It was awkward the flush that came to her face at the mere mention of his name.
"A Ben Finn has arrived to see you ma'am." He performed a stupid, low sweeping bow that he did every day despite her protestations. It was surely giving him back ache, "and I will find you a new aide immediately.
Ben Finn… oh and there's the flush, right on time. Annoying. It had been a full year since they'd last seen each other. He'd left to explore the world the day Walter had died in her arms; the day victory had come for Albion at the cost of her world. For surely he had been everything he could've been to her, the one constant apart from Jasper in her life.
Why was Ben visiting now?
Sighing again, as she often did these days, she stood with a flurry of her ridiculous skirts in preparation for a ball that night and wandered to the Throne Room where he would no doubt be waiting. She tried to keep her insane blush under control when she swept in to the room but as soon as she saw him lounging on her throne Lord of all it just rushed back into to her face.
"A little hot in those clothes Alice, my queen?" He added sarcastically knowing how much she hated people calling her that. He didn't bother to get up though and bow although he did preform some weird hand floppy hand gesture…
"Captain Finn." She shot him a sardonically sweet smile with a hand on her jutted hip, "to what do I owe this immense pleasure? Don't tell me…" She interrupts playing a game she usually played with him back in BR HQ, "A bewildered but angry husband found you on top of his guilty but otherwise pleased wife and tried to run you all the way here." Ben had gotten up off of the throne and stood in front of her with his cocky, devil may care grin almost making her mouth water. Oh look, that damned blush again.
"Only pleased Al? I had a little more faith in my abilities."
"Page and I had a little girl talk and I'm afraid she wasn't exactly raving about your...err… well you." She finished lamely not quite knowing how to finish that sentence. Page had, in fact, adored her time spent with Ben and Alice could feel nothing but jealousy. There had only been two occasions apparently, before he went off to do his whole adventuring spiel. He'd said more of a goodbye to Page than to her. All Alice had received was a casual hope to see you soon, peck on the cheek kind of thing. To be honest that had hurt her a bit, they'd been through so much together and to get that kind of farewell was embarrassing.
"Still so innocent Al. But I thought I'd just come and keep you company. A devilish soldier like me would be the perfect solution." There was no need to offer the reason why he felt a sudden craving for the companionship for his old friend and Queen as it was plain in every sad movement the tired woman gave. She was so different from the woman he'd first met, in the barracks.
Ben had to take a step back from Alice to observe her. The fashion hadn't changed in Albion over the year he'd been travelling so the masquerade ball dress wasn't unusual at all. It had the elaborate mask, the top half showing way too much cleavage than Ben felt comfortable with other people seeing and the split bottom half. What was unusual however was the nothingness in her gaze. There wasn't any light there anymore. The gentle bantering that had just occurred held no amusement for her in any other place but her smile. The smile that had decreased in wattage. Thankfully the delightful, innocent blush that appeared remained the same.
"Ah Ben." She giggled, a brief spark flaring than dying in her eyes, "I've missed my favourite little tramp." Tramp being her nickname for him when she wanted to call him over and he was glad that some familiarity between them was returning, however briefly. But then she did something she'd never done and Ben knew she wouldn't have done it in any other circumstance.
She hugged him. She pulled him close and held on tight, the squeeze telling him that she needed to hold onto someone, just needed something to hold on to.
He found that he didn't mind being that someone.