Obliterated
"Frey!"
The Earthmate jumped up in her sleep, tumbling out of bed. It had been a long night, considering she had spent all night in a desolated dungeon. She came up short in findings, but she found quite a beautiful oasis that was plentiful in fish, just for Ventuswill. The dragon promised to let her sleep a full night's rest, considering she's the one who sent Frey to the emptied dungeon in the first place.
"Geez, I thought that she promised to leave me alone…" Frey mutters, picking herself up off of the floor and brushing dust off of her clothes.
Vishnal rushes into the room, a worried look on his face.
"Princess! Are you alright?" He rushes over, steadying her on her feet.
"Yeah, I think so. Thanks Vishnal. What does that dragon want now?" Frey groans, taking quick steps towards the Dragon Room. Vishnal follows closely behind her, holding the door open as she walks through.
"Frey, we need your help!" Amber shouts, still dressed in her pajamas. Frey halts, looking out at the entire town standing in front of a worried looking Ventuswill.
"Are you guys alright?" Frey asks, suddenly sensing how serious the situation was.
"Frey," The dragon starts, her eyebrows furrowing together. "There's a situation. As you know, the water levels in the town have been depleting. We only have a few days until it runs dry completely."
"Did you find the source of the problem?" Frey asks, stepping forward. There's an eerie silence in the room and all eyes are on her, worried and a few brimmed with tears.
"Yes, we did." Ventuswill is silent for a moment. "We sent both Forte and Leon to examine it, while you were out at the dungeon the other day. Forte fought as hard as she could, but…"
Ventuswill dropped her head.
Frey's heart dropped, her head swimming with all the possibilities that could have taken place the day before to a woman who happened to be her best friend.
"Where's Forte?!" Frey screams, pushing through the people towards the dragon. They move easily, allowing Frey to collide into Leon.
"Hey, she's here. Behind me. She's resting." Leon moves, gently clasping his hand over the shoulder of the panicked girl. "She'll be alright. I carried her back here. Idiot wouldn't stop fighting for anything." He smiles softly. "I like her stubborness."
Frey relaxes, watching the small rise and fall of her chest. Without her armor, she was a totally different person, and only few ever got to see that. The Earthmate wipes tears out of her eyes, calming down. Though battered and beaten, her friend would make it through. Frey turns back toward the dragon, her chest puffed.
"Alright, I'll do it. Let me go slay the monster."
Ventuswill looked uncertain, almost shaking her head before she stopped, froze, and suddenly nodded.
"Okay, Frey. Go and defeat the monster for all of Selphia, and most of all, for Forte."
Frey nods quickly, whipping out the Twin Justice that has served her well over the years. With a single glance at everyone, all the worried eyes looking back at her, she found Arthur's. He nods, stiff and short, his eyes pleading for her safety.
With that, Frey was gone, running from the grand hall of the mansion.
Frey was never really sure why she just submitted herself to Venti's will, always. Maybe it was because she couldn't even remember her true identity and Venti was just there, quite literally, who was willing to let her have one. The God took her in so quickly under her wing and deemed her a princess, even though she had known Frey wasn't really one in the first place. There was a certain mystery to it, one that Frey couldn't quite figure out.
All Frey knew, as she ran towards the mysterious dungeon, was that she was doing this strictly for Forte. That single girl had been there with her from the very beginning, helping her fight her way through monsters and helping her figure out her feelings for the kind and honorable Arthur. Forte asked Kiel to help Frey learn intricate turnip recipes, dishes that she slaved over to perfect, just for Arthur. She had spent many late nights in Forte's house, joking around and drinking unmentionable drinks. It was always Kiel who called for Jones to escort the drunken Frey home, giggling and singing into the night.
Forte was always there, from the very beginning, and it was scary to imagine her gone.
The girl ran harder and faster, swinging her blades at everything she saw. Suddenly, Frey was shot backwards, landing against a tree with a loud and resounding thump. Something cracked, her arm, she realized. She went to move, trying to pick up her tired limbs, but she found she that she couldn't. She couldn't feel any pain. She could only sit and stare, watching a dark burgundy smoke materialize out of thin air.
A person, small and seemingly animal like, appeared, swallowed up in a large cloak. The figure moved forward quickly, a talon appearing from the sleeve of the cloak.
'Who are you?!' Frey tries to shout, only to find her mouth would not move.
'You will find out in due time.' A voice responded, echoing through her ears.
Frey's eyes widened. The figure stood over her, reminding her of the fear you feel when you think someone's following you, only to turn and find nobody there.
'At least tell me your name?' Frey finds a resolve, gulping.
The figure seems to take a moment to think, before responding, 'You will call me Aira. You will be safe.' The talon opened, revealing a small, round piece of wood. Aira tapped the piece of wood with a claw, causing a strange symbol to resonate from deep within the wood. Aira looked up, staring straight at Frey. Frey could not see within the darkness of the cloak, though she suddenly felt a strange sense of peace bubbling in her chest.
'This will hurt, I warn you now.' Aira pauses. 'But it must be done.'
Before Frey can respond to her, she slams the piece of wood onto the arm that had cracked against the wood. Roots from the tree shot from the ground, tangling themselves around Frey's arm in a strange, white glow. The pain came softly at first, and then all at once, digging into what felt like every cell in her body. Frey cried out, trying to get out of the root's grasp, but still found herself unable to move. The cloaked figure moved back, placing a barrier over herself for protection against the glow of the roots.
The roots squeezed and squeezed, digging into her skin and marking her with the strange symbol from the wood. The pain grew until, finally, the roots returned back to their home in the ground and the glow disappeared. Frey's ability to move was regained and, immediately, she shot up to grab the cloaked girl.
'You will thank me, in the end.'
The figure disappeared, a large, red bird shooting up from the cloak. It shot into the sky and dove into the trees, disappearing from sight.
Frey stopped, giving herself a minute to breath. 'Was she the monster that I came to defeat?' Frey shook her head quickly. 'No, I'm not even to the dungeon yet. I shouldn't let her bother me. That's probably what she wants.'
The Earthmate takes one more look around and takes off again, heading into the dungeon.
A single minute after, the bird flies in, following her.
AC: Tada! So, I've been playing a lot of Rune Factory 4 and became obsessed with both Forte and Arthur. Don't get me wrong, all of the characters are amazing, but those two hold a special place in my heart. ^_^ I'm excited for this story! Yes, it will be Frey x Arthur, as foreshadowed in the story. I hope you end up enjoying it! - Sloth