Smile For Me

I do not own Rune Factory 4 or any of its characters!

AN:: Fanfiction reader turned writer. I'm currenty doing a Rune Factory playthrough again. RF is easily my favourite DS game. I love all of them. So- I thought I would try a Dylas one shot. Because why not? I don't have to work this weekend. (I'm starting writing this on a Friday night) and I haven't written in forever. Let me know what you think. May contain spoilers.

One thing that Dylas could not understand was how this tiny girl had such an impact on everyone around her. One thing that he immediately noticed was that how Frey came to everyone's rescue. Where did she have the time for that anyway? It was his day off from the restaurant. Meg had opted to serve for the day so Dylas could enjoy the sunshine with his fishing pole in hand. He planned on ignoring the various day-to-day activities that the villagers always tried to drag him in. Tomorrow, they celebrated the Wooly De-fluffing Festival. Or, something stupidly named like that. He could care less about participating in this town event. But, the rising Warrior Princess was so excited about the event. It was after all, the first event that she would participate in herself after living in Selphia for a month.

That was how he ended up in front of the castle where that great dragon slept. He was watching as the tourists emerged from the Selphia plains in wagonloads. And, the whole town was bustling in excitement. Dylas was relatively new to the town; only waking up from a strange slumber a week earlier. He had no interest in helping Forte and Kiel raise the banner for the festival depicting a giant wooly hastily drawn with fabric paint. Porcoline was already prepared for the giant dinner to follow the main event. Or rather, at least he was prepared assuming Meg kept an eye on him and he didn't eat whatever food was prepared. It seemed as though Porcoline usually ate the food. So, he shouldn't be surprised if some of the main courses were gone by the time Dylas returned from his day of fishing.

He briskly walked into the western housing district- passing the clinic where Nancy was sweeping the front steps. She waved at him happily. Dylas just stared at the blond nurse. But, she didn't seem offended- she just continued with her sweeping. After passing a small garden that must have belonged to Amber and Illuminata, he was finally at Dragon Lake. He walked along its sandy shore for a while until he was further away from the town's entry point. And cast his line. Dylas liked being by himself and his thoughts. Something in his life didn't add up. The villagers told him that Frey had saved him in the Water Ruins. What was he doing there? How long had he been there in the first place? How did he survive? Dylas didn't have a lot of time to ponder life questions though- as someone was behind him.

He turned to eye whatever was making such a racket and blinked a couple of times. There was the Warrior Princess herself. Frey had emerged from the boarded up and dark mansion in the background of the beach. She seemed out of breath. Her dual blades were thrown in front of her in the sand- glinting off the sun. And, she was carrying a girl. His surprise must have been obvious on his face because she gave him a tired smile. "Don't worry, this tends to happen to me a lot," she muttered.

Dylas blinked again. "Why would I be worried?" He snapped.

Frey didn't answer him though. So, Dylas just watched as she carried the pink haired girl back to the village- presumably back to the Clinic where he was taken.

Something wasn't right with this village. And it all revolved around that dragon and Frey; the former who was still unconscious, and Frey, who seemed like a mystery to him.

But he wasn't given a chance to think about this any further. The tag on his line indicated he had a bite. And Dylas reeled in his prize thinking about making some sashimi that evening.

The next day was the De-fluffing Festival. Dylas didn't plan on attending. He did, however, have plans with his fishing pole and Dragon Lake. Because he had to work later that afternoon after the main festivities, he had to fish earlier in the morning.

And so, Dylas grabbed his fishing pole and headed out to Dragon Lake. It was around 7:00AM when he arrived. The sun had risen only thirty minutes prior. And that meant he successfully avoided the sleepy villagers.

The fish were biting better this morning than they were in the previous day. Dylas was pretty happy with his haul. He had three fish and a squid in his little trap that he had set-up to keep his findings fresh until he was ready to bring them home. But something startled him. There was something shining in the morning sun. He got up from his comfortable fishing spot and poked around the sand only to find Frey's dual blades stuck where she had left them the day prior. Dylas scoffed. How thick could a girl get? Leaving her weapons for people to stumble on? Someone could have gotten hurt! Not that Dylas was one to care of course. He gathered them up in his hands and frowned. They were a little heavier than expected- especially since Frey was tiny herself. But he decided to carry them off to her. She had probably forgotten about them in her rush to get the new girl to the Clinic.

Dylas never had been inside the main castle. He knew the butlers, the dragon, and Frey all stayed there. And Frey's quarters were off to the right of the giant main entrance which lead to the giant room where that dragon stayed. He knocked on the wooden door and waited for a moment. There was no answer.

He knocked louder and more urgent. Some of the villagers were in the square now, staring at him, wondering why he was visiting the Princess this early in the morning.

"Dylas?" Vishnal, the blue haired butler questioned. "Are you looking for Princess Frey?" He smiled kindly. "I believe she's out back tending to the fields. You can cut through the main hall if you'd like," he offered.

Dylas watched the butler a moment before shrugging. Thankfully, Vishnal didn't seem to mind leading the way. Dylas wasn't sure why, but he didn't exactly want to run into the giant green dragon that resided in the palace.

Thankfully, Ventuswill was resting- so that encounter didn't need to happen at the moment. "Did you hear Dylas? Lady Ventuswill awoke yesterday!" He seemed excited.

Dylas just grunted. "Great."

"It was right around the time that new girl appeared too!" Vishnal exclaimed, seeming not to notice Dylas and his lack of interest. "You'll really like her Dylas. The High Lady is kind and truly looks out for Selphia and all of her people." He flashed the other man a bright smile before pointing through another doorway. "Well, there you are. The Princess's farm is through there!"

'Farm?' Dylas thought for a moment. How many jobs did this Warrior Princess have? But, he continued through the door Visnal pointed at and blinked at the surprise he encountered.

Farm wasn't exactly the right word that Dylas would have used. There was a barn in the back corner and stone and logs piled high along it's side wall. There was one chicken milling about in the tall fodder grass- that Dylas realized was actually a Cluckadoodle. And there was Frey, watering a row of juicy looking turnips humming to herself.

She put the watering can down and brushed her hands on her pants. She then looked up and saw Dylas staring at her. "Oh hey!" She exclaimed. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting company!"

Dylas said nothing- he just merely held out the two blades and watched as he face fell.

"Where did you find those?" Frey questioned, a blush emerging on her cheeks. "Oh no. I left them at the beach didn't I?"

"Yes," Dylas said shortly. He was about to complain that someone could have been hurt if they came upon the blades accidentally but Frey seemed off. She gripped the handles of the blades tighter to stop her hands from shaking.

"I didn't even realize they were missing. I was so tired after rescuing Dolce." She stuck the blades into the soil before rubbing the back of her neck. "Thanks Dylas for looking out for me. I guess I'll need to be more careful from now on."

Dylas blinked. Why was it her responsibility to save everyone anyways? She seemed so tired today. Even though it was closing in to 10:00AM. The Festival would be starting soon, and as Princess, Frey had to be there.

"It's no big deal," He answered gruffly. "Just don't let it happen again."

Frey smiled up at him and Dylas felt his heart skip a beat. He blinked at the feeling. Why had that happened? Frey reached into her bag and pulled out a container. "Hey," she reached up and touched Dylas's arm in a light poke. "Take this as thanks. I made too much for my breakfast this morning. And since I know you like fish so much," she giggled before holding out the container again.

Dylas looked down to study the contents. Sashimi. He took the container and bit into it. He swallowed in surprise. "Did you make this? This is really good!" He stated in a loud tone. But, he rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed and said a meek "thanks". Frey smiled. Another flutter erupted in Dylas's stomach.

Frey glanced at her watch. "Ah, almost time for the festival," she exclaimed. "I'll see you there, right?" She questioned.

Dylas blinked and watched her carefully. Was that a joke? Did she actually want him there? "Sure?" He responded. Though it came out more of a question than an answer.

Frey was positively beaming now. "Great! I just have to change into something else, and I'll see you out there!" She was heading towards her quarter's now, and she disappeared behind the closed door. Leaving that innocent moment of bliss burned into his mind. Her smile was so pure, and so hopeful. It was truly radiant. And upon thinking that, Dylas flushed deeply and stomped down the main corridor towards the square- where the village was already gathered.