Author's Notes: Here's something I've never done before, I'm going to use a hypothetical relationship involving two Dragon Quest V characters to reflect upon my thinking of a different potential couple in that same game. This is just really for a bit of fun but I also think it needs to be looked at. I'll explain who the couple being alluded to is the closing notes but most of you will probably figure it out… you literally only have three options.
Kendrick, Prince of Coburg and its future king, was not a nice boy. He was rude, arrogant and something of a bully, facts that the young man was well aware of. In his own mind, he'd justified it by the sheer fact of being a prince.
There weren't any other children to play with in the castle, save for one girl his own age, Aveline. Aveline proclaimed her love for him and he soaked up that praise and acceptance like a sponge, desperately wanting to maintain that link at all costs.
Since she was the only person he had to play with, she was exempt from his bad behaviour, much like his parents were exempt from direct examples (what they overheard, on the other hand…). When they were slightly younger, she'd even had a crush on him that had since faded into friendship.
Everyone but her and his parents were fair game, though.
He hadn't total free reign, his father, a man to whom he bore a sharp resemblance, was unusually determined to ensure he was disciplined whenever he stepped out of line. Kendrick had limits, identifiable ones that always forced him to rein in his attitude whenever they risked being breached. Thus he was neither a despot in the making nor someone who suffered hardships that might excuse their behaviours; he was simply a spoiled brat who liked acting up.
Most children visiting the castle (usually those of royal families or the spawn of prosperous entrepreneurs) avoided him now, the natural result of his unpleasant demeanour and constant insults. This left Kendrick with much time to think and wander about by himself, though he rarely ventured further than the edge of Coburg. Even at the brash age of twelve, where a young man may first start to try and prove his courage, he had little interest in being kidnapped (his father had instilled a healthy fear of that).
But one November morn, he was feeling bolder than normal after a run in with Gotha's young prince having injured his pride. Parry, having had enough of his posturing, had pointed out that he was already an accomplished fighter despite being only a year older than Kendrick. Kendrick, he'd noted, was still afraid to leave his own city.
On reflection, Parry had clearly regretted the words and tried to apologise but Kendrick only brushed him. His pride had been shredded when he realised that Parry's regret was not synonymous with lying and Parry really did consider him little more than an annoyance.
A painful realisation when the terse relationship between the two boys was the only male peer-to-peer relationship he had.
So, he'd lost the blond haired "Legendary Hero" (a title Kendrick was slightly envious of) and now found himself wandering the mountainous region outside of his home.
Ever since Parry and his family had brought down Nimzo, monsters had become less of an issue around the world but it was still unwise to travel alone if one couldn't protect themselves. Kendrick was trained by his father but not intensely and he had little practical experience, so he may very well have fallen into the "unwise" category during this little venture.
Still, he was doing rather well in avoiding the creatures by sticking to the walls and only engaging the weaker looking creatures that got too hostile. He'd made decent progress and made it to a cave located in the North that seemed to either be manmade or at least developed by people into an underground bunker of some sort.
Kendrick's excitement at his discovery could barely be contained and he'd begun running through the hallways without a second thought. Unfortunately, this drew the attention of a powerful, axe-wielding monster who brushed off Kendrick's sword strikes as if they were that of a fly.
The steel broadsword (a weapon he'd grabbed from the armoury on his way out) was batted from his hand and the monster soon threw him against the wall, cutting a nasty gash into the side of his forehead when he crashed into the stonework.
Touching his now stained green hair, the blood matting it to the side of his face uncomfortably. At the realisation that he was hopelessly outmatched, Kendrick did the only thing he could and turned tail to flee.
Sprinting deeper into the ruins until his sides ached and his legs seemed to scream in protest, he only allowed himself to stop when the lack of oxygen caused him to tumble sideways into a left behind treasure chest.
The shock knocked the top of the red container opening, something that went unnoticed by the exhausted prince… until he heard a whimpering sound from within it.
Turning sharply, he stumbled away, waving his hands about as he struggled to catch his breath and tried hard not to scream for his father.
He was left staring fearfully at the chest until another whimper was emitted from within, this one even more pathetic and non-threatening than the last.
Curiosity managing to overcome his fear, the haughty prince approached the source of the voices with a rock gripped in his fist for protection after the loss of his blade. Raising the stone above his head, the boy had all but leapt onto the edge of the chest and preparing to fling it at whatever was inside.
He froze when he saw the blue body inside with a dark coating its fleshy body, the result of crimson dripping from a cut in its side far worse than the one Kendrick had on the side of his own head. And its eyes… the Slime's eyes were wide and condensation had gathered in their corners, its terror at Kendrick's appearance reminiscent of his when the monster earlier had sent him fleeing.
Caught between his gut instinct to bash in the creature's skull (did it even have one?) and a nagging voice in his head that told him he couldn't kill such a helpless monster that had done nothing to wrong him.
His conscience ("the squirmy, little coward!") eventually won out and he dropped his makeshift weapon to the ground, drawing the helpless monster's gaze. That description, monster, seemed so unfitting to Kendrick when the Slime looked up at him with what appeared to be a thin gleam of hope that he wouldn't hurt it.
Well, no one was around, so he supposed it was fair game to try and help it without risking his reputation as an irredeemable prick.
He gently stretched his arm out, careful not to startle the tiny Slime and wincing when it recoiled from his touch. He persisted through and gently ran his fingers along the top of what he assumed was the Slime's head like his mother threaded her dainty finger through his hair whenever he'd felt unwell as a child.
Resisting passively at first, the azure being soon relaxed and began to hum softly in appreciation of the movement.
It took a moment for the beast's courage to gather but once it had, it began speaking, "Thank you…"
"Don't mention it," Kendrick said gruffly. When it looked like it was going to disobey, Kendrick (unexpectedly embarrassed) added with an evil glare, "I mean it."
The Slime tilted its body in confusion but seemed to feel like complying as its lips curled upwards, "I'm Goom, nice to meet you."
"Yeah, yeah. What happened to you anyway?" Kendrick asked somewhat harshly but a foreign kindness in his eyes softened the effect somewhat.
"I was attacked by a… bad man with an a, ow… an axe," Goom explained miserably, the harshness of his breathing finally coming to Prince Coburg's notice.
Gathering part of his cape around his fingers, Kendrick ripped off some of the red fabric and pressing it against Goom's wound with enough force to staunch the blood flow without hurting the damaged slime.
"Yeah, we've met," Kendrick mentioned, hoping to distract the creature from its own pain before the awkwardness overwhelmed him. "We didn't get along."
"Is that where you got your cut?" the monster asked innocently, something about the highness of its voice different from slimes that Kendrick had encountered previously.
"Yes," Kendrick said through gritted teeth, before reaching down and placing his arms underneath the small (even for the species) Slime. "I'm going to lift you now, so try to keep quiet or I won't let you be my lackey."
"Lackey? Well, as long as it's yours, I'll try," Goom said with a goofy grin, the sight quite heart-wrenching due to its wounds.
Kendrick almost wanted to… thank/ congratulate/ comfort Goom but his pride wouldn't let him act on the conflicting feelings.
"I'd expect no less," Kendrick said haughtily but he still shifted his arms under Goom to ensure he was both safe and comfortable.
If it weren't for the risk of being found while Kendrick was unarmed and Goom was practically invalid, he would have let the monster do whatever it wanted out of pity alone.
Footsteps upon the stone drew their attention, the petering of feet causing Kendrick to crouch down behind a damaged piece of rock just large enough to block his form.
His heart hammered against his ribcage at the noises created by the new arrival, its large size obvious from the sheer volume, especially that of metal scraping against stone. Kendrick's flashback to his earlier battle had him feeling nauseous as he subconsciously reached for his sword's sheath, nearly yelling out in frustration when he realised it was still gone.
Goom shivered in Kendrick's arms, making the Prince's eyes widen at the possibility of being caught, his hand flying to cover the monster's mouth. The footsteps drew closer, halting just a few feet in front of them, leaving the new arrival close enough to hear its breathing.
Moments lasted an eternity as nobody made any sounds beyond the ambiance and the two helpless boys prayed to the Goddess that they wouldn't be found.
It seemed their wishes had been answered when the beast could be heard moving away… and then the axe landed right beside the two, sending both Kendrick and Goom rolling from their hiding place in a panic.
Kendrick held Goom tightly as he used his body to absorb most of the damage from the sudden motion. Getting back to his feet, Kendrick jumped forward to avoid another cut, sprinting towards the archway.
He lowered Goom to the ground as softly as he could without breaking his stride and turned to face the monster with the black hood, shouting, "Run Goom!"
Confused at first, the Slime soon began bouncing away, uncertain at why Kendrick wasn't following him.
Kendrick had realised that he was unlikely to outrun the monster while he was out of breath, so he decided he had to try and kill it. The plan was stupid but at least he didn't have that stupid Slime's death on his conscience, he had enough crap to deal with without having to touch that.
The axe was soon being swung wildly at him again, his clothing and skin being stripped away with every near miss as he weaved his way to the edge of each blade's strike. His agility was barely keeping him ahead of a fatal stroke, luck outweighing skill on more than a few of those near-misses.
Eventually, his luck collapsed and the blade tore into his shoulder, going about halfway through before getting stuck in the bone. With one brutal pull the metal was ripped free and most of Kendrick's shoulder came with it, eliciting a wretched scream from the twelve year old that radiated through all of the halls.
He could see only red as his tears streamed down his face and his entire body collapsed into the same kneeling position of a man beneath the guillotine. Appropriate as the axe was raised once more as the boy's eyes opened and his cries became more frantic and (understandably) frightened.
The monster's (a very fitting description in Kendrick's eyes for the murderer) arm had been about to lower when a yellow orb struck its chest and exploded loudly. The monster was knocked clean off its feet and its eyes denoted obvious disorientation.
Kendrick's was knocked painfully onto his back and his ears were ringing loudly, deafening him to surrounding events. Thus, when his eyes rolled back to his attacker again, he was surprised to see ice blades gathering around the creature and slamming into it from multiple angles. The resultant force had apparently been enough to fell the monster as its footing slipped out from beneath it and it was left staring at the moss-covered ceiling above.
As the metaphorical bells finally slowed, the first thing to reach Kendrick's ears was a female voice saying, "Oh, Goddess, are you alright?! Goodian, hurry!"
The telltale sounds of a Slime bouncing nearby made Kendrick want to shift his head but the pain in his shoulder seemed to make his entire body freeze, as if he was in shock.
However, that didn't stop his saviour from gently taking his head in her hands and turning it so that his eyes were met with a pair of beautiful, wide blue orbs.
Blonde hair fell about her eyes as she stared down at him with a comforting smile, soothingly whispering, "Everything's going to be okay, don't worry about it. Goodian will take care of you."
Her face seemed familiar but he couldn't place it, so he let her identity remain a secret for the moment and simply enjoyed the pleasant view of her face his position afforded him.
The feeling of his wounds knitting themselves back together reminded of the other presence in the room, his periphery vision catching sight of the light blue sparks indicative of a Heal spell. When the wound had closed completely (though a certain stiffness remained), the girl above him gently stroked his face before placing his head back on the floor and standing up.
Her hand was offered to him and he hesitantly gripped it, suddenly quite embarrassed that his only interaction with the girl was him needing her to save him. It didn't make him seem particularly impressive, in his own eyes anyway.
Blushing at that, he turned his head away and fell back into his old habit, "I didn't need your help, you know."
The girl seemed stunned at his brazen lie but that quickly devolved into annoyance as she too looked away from him in a huff, "I don't know why I expected you to be any better this time."
"This time?"
Turning his attention back to her, Kendrick desperately scanned her face in an effort to place it but that only served to frustrate him. All he seemed to get was an image of Parry whenever he looked at her due to their resemblance… oh!
"Madchen?" Kendrick asked, his face contorting in a mixture of surprise and worry at his recognition of Gotha's princess.
"What's with that tone, didn't you recognise me?" she asked it teasingly but her arms were still crossed defensively over her chest.
"Of course I did, I just…" "didn't remember you being so beautiful," "… don't know what you're doing here. I can handle myself." Kendrick internally blanched at his almost slip but his outwards appearance remained indignant and emotionally aloof towards the blond-haired girl.
Madchen snorted in disbelief, "Sure you can. If I had been a few seconds later, your head would be rolling across the stone right now."
Kendrick wanted to argue but the fear from earlier re-emerged and his body began unwillingly shaking, his fists clenching and unclenching as his tongue failed to form a retort.
Madchen let that macabre thought float about for a moment before shaking her head and looking at him with obvious guilt, "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for."
Kendrick had been about to explode against her the same way he had against her brother when he'd similarly tried to make amends but he was distracted by something slamming into his legs.
At the same time, it shouted, "My new friend is alive; I'm such a happy Slime!"
While Kendrick was about to yell at Goom for unintentionally embarrassing him, Madchen giggled in a sound Kendrick found absolutely adorable. It was so adorable, in fact, that it almost made him want to humiliate himself again just so she'd keep on laughing.
The same kind smile she'd offered him before was back at the sight of the blue monster rubbing against his leg.
"That's so cute, you bonded with him," Madchen all but squealed. "Anyone who befriends monsters can't be all bad, that's my belief. So I guess I was wrong about you."
Torn between relief at the appearance of an easy way out of her bad books and his pride making him want to destroy her good impression of him (because he knew it would be more painful if he had to have it crack later), he chose the latter.
"As if, I've befriended nobody."
"Yeah, we're not friends. I'm his lackey," Goom explained airily to Madchen, obviously extremely satisfied with his new title.
"Oh," Madchen quirked an eyebrow but her knowing smirk didn't shift, "and what does that mean?"
"I don't know exactly," Goom admitted, his entire body deflating somewhat in a sadness that quickly disappeared. "But it did make him save me from the mean guy… so it's even better than being friends!"
"Really," Madchen could barely hold in her laughter as Kendrick's face went completely red, his every possible word or action dying before his mind had even processed it.
He had no idea what to do.
His confusion only worsened when Madchen added, "Well aren't you lucky to be such a brave boy's lackey."
"Yeah!" Goom hopped in place to show his excitement but was soon scooped up into Madchen's arms, making him look up at her in confusion.
"But shouldn't you be finding your parent, they're probably looking for you right now," Madchen's voice reminded Kendrick of his mother's when she'd spoken to him as a very young child.
"But she got… she got…waaaahhhhh!" the little Slime started wailing at whatever memory had been touched upon, Madchen's efforts to calm it down amounting to naught.
Seeing his chance to play the hero, Kendrick had taken the still crying Slime from a Madchen that wasn't resisting and held it in front of himself.
"Stop that," Kendrick's voice was level and unraised but it was clearly an order. "You need to be tougher than this until we get back to the castle."
Goom's tears slowed (though he was still hiccupping sporadically) and his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "You mean… I get to go home with you…"
Kendrick bristled at his unintentional promise but decided he didn't really mind, after all, "How else can you be my lackey?"
"Thank you, thank you," the tiny monster pulled against Kendrick's grip until it was fondly rubbing itself against his chest. "I'll be the best lackey ever, I promise."
"Whatever, let's just leave. I'm sick of this place," Kendrick said while his lips kept twitching despite his own wish to remain cold.
He hadn't taken two steps before Madchen easily fell into step next to him, seemingly having warmed to him considerably in the last few moments.
The Coburg prince had been about to speak when gentle snores were emitted from the monster in his arms. He'd been about to scold Goom but Madchen's hand was placed above his, the caring quirking of her lips once again dusting his cheeks pink.
"He's such a sweet little child," Madchen had cooed at Goom's peaceful expression.
"Child?" Kendrick glanced downwards, not seeing anything different about this slime compared to the other one's he'd met.
"You can tell by how big his eyes are," Madchen said knowledgably. "How small he is in general is another clue."
Kendrick hummed in agreement, feeling less awkward about carrying a child (even if it was a monster).
Madchen reached over and patted his shoulder gently; her expression one he wasn't used to seeing, gratitude. "You did a pretty amazing thing."
"I'm a prince, I don't need to impress you," Kendrick said while simultaneously wanting to smack himself.
Madchen frowned, asking, "Why are you always such a jerk? Do you think people will like you if you do that?"
Kendrick was careful in his phrasing, uncertain about how honest he should be about his feelings. "I don't see the point of being nice when I don't know how people will react. What if they still dislike me?"
Better to be aloof and hated for a false face than rejected for your true feelings; that was how Kendrick saw it. His natural bratty behaviour, brought on by a lack of boys his own age to play with or perhaps some bred-in unpleasant disposition, had transitioned neatly to match that attitude when he realised just how little people tended to care for him.
"They won't," Madchen said comfortingly. "If you're kind to people, most of them will return that kindness. I promise."
"You can think whatever you want," Kendrick responded haughtily as they left the ruins.
"A good heart is never enough," Madchen had responded, the distant look in her eyes making it seem like she was quoting a long forgotten source. "If you allow it to be clouded by bitterness and arrogance, it may as well be as dark as Nadiria's lost souls."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Kendrick asked angrily, jumping slightly when Goom struggled for a moment in his arms before falling back to sleep.
Madchen had fixed him a serious gaze and told him flatly, "If you keep acting the way you do, the best you can hope for is people tolerating you and nothing more."
Kendrick turned his head sharply to the side and refused to meet her eyes as the group marched back to Coburg in relative silence.
The sun was just about set when they encountered Parry and their parents outside Coburg's walls. Their panic quickly rescinded as Parry gripped his little sister in a tight hug while Harry gave his son a sharp slap to his cheek while scolding him for running off (and for getting noticeably banged up).
He found himself apologising to the others for making them worry, a strange feeling of gratitude welling in his chest when he realised that no one had wanted him hurt despite their lack of particular attachment to the prince.
He'd fallen into the middle of the pack when they re-entered the city limits, Parry's face clearly apologetic as he walked beside him.
"About earlier… I don't usually-" Parry began but Kendrick just shook his head.
"It was my fault, I… know I'm not easy to be around," the words felt like hot lead on his tongue, burning his throat as they left his mouth, but the look of surprise in Parry's eyes almost made it worth it. "Just pretend it never happened and it'll hurt my pride less."
Not quite an apology but something close, close enough for Parry to nod his head and smile at Coburg's prince.
"Still, I'd like to make it up to you," Parry said sincerely, quickly raising a hand to silence Kendrick's protests. "I was thinking I could teach you a bit of swordsmanship while we're still here."
Kendrick couldn't decide if he wanted to laugh in other boy's face or grab his hand and shake it gratefully until his arm gave out. So, he rejected both and nodded cautiously.
"I think I'd like that."
Meanwhile, Madchen looked at the two with a knowing smile on her face, curious to see if the new Kendrick would last or burn out into his old personality. It didn't matter just yet, it wasn't like she was marrying the jerk.
Author's Notes: Anyone guess which couple this is an allegory for?
That's right, it's Debora and the Hero or, as I like to call it, if he marries her then he's either calculating, shallow or a moron. The calculating one can be put aside for this discussion as it just refers to him guaranteeing he gets the Zenithian shield (something his time in Helmunpatra shows isn't a huge concern) and not hurting Crispin's chances with Nera.
The shallow reasons for picking Debora are obvious… their both right there in plain sight! In all seriousness though, a popular reason for marrying Debora is because she's very attractive physically (not that the Hero can often partake in those pleasures) and I have no problem with that. I just think it should be pointed out that that's a stupid reason to marry someone if it's intended to last.
The moron answer ties into Madchen's reference to marriage above. Some say Debora is clearly a pained soul hardened by the world… despite knowing no form of hardship and being thoroughly spoiled throughout her life. Treating her kindly and not taking offence is one thing but that really is just tolerance. Marrying someone so that you can "save" them or "change" them is absolutely insulting to that person. You're not worth marrying now but I know I'll make you a better person. The suddenness of the marriage and the lack of previous interaction with Debora essentially strip the hero of knowing if there is anything deeper to justify her actions (I don't really think there is but I can understand the interpretation).
It's the same reason Harry is such a good character in terms of his development. Others don't bend over backwards to save him outside of his own father and he has genuine reasons to act up (Mummy issues and a serious lack of his parents showing affection), something Debora lacks while on her one woman crusade against the rest of the world that she considers beneath herself. I can understand not wanting to let a man control your life but when you do nothing and have no interest in seeking work or contributing to your family (or even supporting your own self), you do not get to make the strong, independent woman speech.
Having said that, the couple can be done well. Laryna6's The Greatest Thing You Will Ever Learn shows the Hero marrying her out of pity and a fear of signing Bianca's death warrant. I might disagree with the "Break the Haughty" description in the author's notes (you could say the same about anyone unpleasant in that game) but it's strong fiction on its own that does the character's justice.
Sorry, I just needed to get that rant out of my system. I'm not arguing against the couple, I just think people should acknowledge its realities if they truly support it.