A/N: This is based on WA1, not ACF (which I haven't played), but from what I've read, the differences in the story between the two are minimal. My story treats Filgaia as if it's one kingdom among many in the world (rather than as the world itself). I just had to write this fanfic after playing the game again b/c I love the music, scenario, and of course all the wonderful characters of this game. Title translates to "The Cowgirl Princess" in case you were wondering.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O

Three years had passed since the trio of heroes had rescued Filgaia from disaster by defeating Zeikfried and Motherfried in Malduke. As Cecilia had vowed, the three continued to travel, slaying any remaining monsters they could find in Filgaia and doing their best to repair the vast wastelands back to their lush former glory. They still traversed the sea and air when necessary, but by land they now traveled via horseback since they no longer had the assistance of the Earth Golem which had sacrificed itself to save the heroes. Everywhere the three traveled, they planted seeds, trees and taught people in remote villages like Baskar about sustainable crop-growing techniques. Cecilia and other shamans cast restoration spells on the land. Their impact was miniscule at first, but with the combined efforts of other Dream Chasers over the years, there was a noticeable change emerging over the landscape. The only thing Cecilia regretted is that the villagers at Surf were not able to look past Rudy's use of the forbidden technology, the ARMs, no matter how much the trio tried to change the villagers' minds. Cecilia didn't lose hope that eventually they would come to reason.

Even though she said they would travel together forever, Cecilia had matured and changed enough that she now felt the need to return to Adelhyde and assume the leadership activities which Minister Johan had covered in her absence. Jack and Rudy would continue adventuring without her. Although it was incredibly painful to separate from them after having spent three continuous years together, she knew she didn't need to say goodbye, only that she would see them later.

Cecilia used to loathe her title of "Princess" because she thought people only saw her for her high status and power and not as a normal, everyday person, so she used to hide that identity from others for as long as she could. She loathed being given everything she could ever want or need on a silver platter when she knew that there were people in near inescapable poverty elsewhere in the world. But she now admired the title of "Princess" for the unique opportunity it gave her to be an ambassador of Adelhyde. It allowed her more power to influence others and enlist their help in the restoration of Filgaia. Rudy had taught her that to be loved, you must love others first, so Cecilia made certain she demonstrated care and compassion with everyone she met, but especially those who were most unfortunate or underprivileged. In turn, she became respected and admired around Filgaia as a benevolent and humble ruler.

Cecilia was relieved to know that resuming her duties as princess would not bar her from continuing to travel the land as an ambassador of her kingdom. Her adventurous spirit would be satisfied by these occasional journeys, and the side of her that wished to better her kingdom would also be appeased. Cecilia felt so fortunate to have been born a princess in a kingdom that allows so much freedom to it's royalty. She knew that other kingdoms exist which force royalty to sit on the throne for nearly their entire lives. She could not imagine living such a painfully cloistered existence, akin to a bird having its wings clipped.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O

Several months after she returned to leadership duties, Cecilia sent letters to Jack and Rudy. She wanted to invite them to the annual fair that had finally resumed now that the restoration of Adelhyde from the fire so many years ago was complete. She knew more than likely that the two of them would still be traveling together, but she sent each of them a letter just in case they had parted ways. She received a reply from Jack a week before the fair that read:

Dear Princess,

I regret not being able to return to Adelhyde right now. I got bored traveling through the same old places we've been to 100 times before, so I'm already heading south to explore some of the kingdoms outside of Filgaia. Rudy didn't want to go with me so he's already gone off adventuring somewhere else. Hopefully you sent him a letter because I don't know where he might be by now. I promise I'll tell you all about my explorations the next time I see you-but I can't guarantee I'll be back anytime soon! Take care!

Your pal,

Jack Van Burace

Ah well, I still have yet to hear from Rudy, Cecilia thought. I hope he will come, at least.

But the day of the fair was quickly approaching and she still hadn't seen nor heard word from him. She assumed the Filgaian postal service wasn't able to locate him, a common problem when trying to track down elusive Dream Chasers. Cecilia ended up going to the fair with her good friend and all-around tech guru, the raven-haired Emma. Although Cecilia missed Jack and Rudy's presence dearly, Emma kept the princess from feeling lonely. They quite enjoyed their time at the fair as well as mingling with the townspeople.

The next afternoon, Cecilia was resting in her chambers in the castle when she heard a knock on her door. "Pardon me, Princess, but you have a visitor," a strong voice pronounced through the door.

She recognized the voice as that of Demetri, one of the castle's guards who was not yet a knight. When Cecilia was younger, she had taken the castle workers for granted, but now that she had learned compassion, she respected all of them for their hard work and dedication, making sure to compliment them for their service on a regular basis. The least she could do was learn their names, because Cecilia knew from her own experience how dehumanizing it was to be referred to by one's title all the time, even if it was merely a sign of respect in this kingdom.

Cecilia wasn't expecting any visitors, so this came as a surprise. She opened the door to face Demetri, who said, "I understand you may wish to have privacy with this guest, so I will be around the corner if you require my assistance."

"Thank you, Demetri," Cecilia said, tipping her head to him. It wasn't too uncommon for her to have a guest she would want privacy with, but she still wondered who it would be. As the guard turned to leave, Cecilia's guest walked slowly to the doorframe. A certain blue-haired Dream Chaser stood before her.

"Rudy!" Cecilia shouted gleefully, pouncing on him to give him an overly exuberant, almost suffocating hug. She was too excited to notice how hard she was squeezing. She couldn't help smiling from ear to ear at the sight of him. Finally when she let him go, Rudy exhaled deeply to catch his breath. Even though Cecilia had only noticed it incrementally due to being his constant companion over the past few years, he was even more handsome than he was when they first met, when he was just a boy of 15 and a lonely outcast. He was now a more mature, street-savvy, battle-hardened person. But one thing that hadn't changed was his ensemble, which proved yet again that Dream Chasers didn't care much for fashion. He was still wearing the same basic threads he had worn almost every day of their adventures, albeit replacing them whenever they were too torn or dirty (which was a high threshold to meet for Dream Chasers that were used to being covered in dirt). Cecilia noticed that he wore a red vest, plain white t-shirt with the sleeves torn at the edges, jeans covered in trail dust, tall boots (a comfortable, durable pair is a must-have for any adventurer), and of course that silly long red bandana he always wore around his forehead. He also always seemed to have a small bandage or two somewhere on his face, owing to a bit of carelessness in battle from time to time.

She couldn't really complain about Rudy's lack of clothing variety, though, because Cecilia herself had worn mostly the same style of clothing throughout their whole adventure. Now that she was assuming the role of Adelhyde's leader, she had to keep up appearances, but she would switch back to her more comfortable adventuring outfit at a moment's notice if she could. She had kept her blonde hair short since she liked it better this way and wore it with a ribbon tied in the back. She also shunned flashy, expensive dresses made in far-off lands in favor of modest, inexpensive ones made by local tailors.

It was clear that Rudy hadn't shaved in a while since he had stubble on his face. He had almost never forgotten to shave a single day for as long as she knew him (even though it was a bit inconvenient to do so at the makeshift camps they set up in the wilderness), so she knew this must have meant he had been in a rush returning to Adlehyde and likely he was also a long distance away from the town at the time he got the letter.

"I am so glad to see you again, and to see you safe!" Cecilia exclaimed. "I can't help but worry about you and Jack, especially when you're out there riding solo. But, why weren't you here yesterday? The fair was only one day. I mean, I know the mail service is slow at times, and you Dream Chasers are pretty hard to track down, but..."

Cecilia trailed off as she noticed Rudy staring off to the side at the floor. He was too timid to even look at her at that moment because to explain why he was late was to tell her a secret he wasn't prepared to disclose to anyone, not even a close friend. But he mustered up the courage to do it anyway.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, still looking at the floor. "I had to find someone who could read the letter for me..."

Cecilia didn't understand what he was trying to say at first, but then it dawned on her. "Oh, Rudy. That's nothing to be ashamed of." She placed a hand on his shoulder and continued speaking in a comforting tone. "Considering the circumstances you grew up under, it's completely understandable. The education system is something else about Filgaia that I need to reform, but for the present time, I want to help you." She contemplated for a few moments, then said, "If you're open to it, I would like to tutor you."

She waited for Rudy's response, and after a few seconds' thought, he looked at her and nodded his head up and down. "I don't want to be a burden to you, though," Rudy said earnestly.

"No, you absolutely won't be! In fact, I am quite looking forward to our time together." Rudy smiled at this. "I can have a room prepared for you in the castle. Of course, you have to realize that this means no adventuring for you for a little while...can you handle that?"

Without hesitation, Rudy said yes. They made arrangements to meet at a certain time every day. Since Adelhyde did not have a dedicated library (another issue Cecilia was aiming to correct in the near future), she would tutor him at the desk in her chambers where she had many shelves of books. How had I not realized all this time that Rudy couldn't read? Cecilia wondered. I know he grew up in a small village that doesn't have a school nearby and so, without any parents or caretakers for much of his life, his entire formal education may very well have been forgotten. But as she thought about it more, she was ashamed to admit to herself that she and Jack had done most of the talking (and thus also the reading) for Rudy, never giving him much chance to use his own voice. She was almost sure that his reluctance to speak was a side effect of his illiteracy. Oh no, she worried. He was probably bullied for this as a child, along with being bullied for his possession of an ARM...I really hope that Rudy will start to come out of his shell a little more as he gains confidence, and hopefully some of that confidence will come to him once he learns to read.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O

Cecilia was quite proud of the progress Rudy was making. Anytime he started to get frustrated and feel that this study might be a waste of their time, she reassured him that eventually it would all come together and he could soon read more and more complex books. Cecilia assured him that he could learn almost anything he wanted to know from books, so learning to read was one of the most important things he could do for himself, even as an adventurer.

One day after a study session, Rudy noticed the long-eared doll clad in strange green clothing on one of her bookshelves. "Oh, you noticed that, did you?" Cecilia smiled, thinking about the history behind it. "It's been in my family for longer than I can remember. The doll represents a legendary hero from a distant kingdom who supposedly accomplished feats even more unbelievable than we did and against even greater odds...at least, if the stories my father told me as a child are true. I think the kingdom was called Hyrule, or something like that..." Rudy simply nodded, in awe of the incredible things that a person can achieve for the sake of protecting others. Will someone memorialize us one day? he wondered.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O

On a beautiful sunny day in Adlehyde, with seagulls dotting the sky and a warm west wind blowing, Cecilia and Rudy took a walk. They could hear the faint sound of children playing and laughing in the distance, a calming sound to Cecilia that helped her forget the distressing memories of Adelhyde in flames. She chose a path on the outskirts of the castle town that, with any luck, would prevent them from being thronged by townspeople so that they could talk uninterrupted. Cecilia hadn't had a chance to discuss much with Rudy over the years she'd known him since she could rarely get a good conversation started with the man of few words, but now that he had more self-confidence, he really was starting to open up to her and to other people, much to Cecilia's happiness. This would mark the first time they had an engaging conversation with each other.

With much concern in her voice, Cecilia began, "I've been meaning to ask you this, Rudy, but how are you faring out there on your own? Have you met any new travel companions? I hope you always carry a lot of heal berries with you if you aren't traveling with a healer. I have some ambrosia, goat dolls and other provisions if you need them."

"No, thanks. My saddlebags are full. I'm doing fine traveling on my own right now," Rudy replied.

"What about your horse? Does it need any care?"

"No. It's doing fine."

"All right." She paused for a few moments, hoping Rudy would ask her a question. Eventually, she looked up at the sky and said, "I wonder what Jack's up to. Since he went so far away, I really am worried for him."

"Don't be," Rudy said, almost a little smugly. "You know he can find his way out of any bad situation."

"I'm sure you're right, but I just can't help but be worried about the friends I've grown so close to. I can't tell you enough how happy it makes me to have you here with me."

"Yeah, I've heard that a few times," he chuckled. "Likewise."

"So what was your old man, Zepet, like...if you don't mind me asking? He must have really been somethin' to raise as wonderful a person as you."

This made Rudy blush a bit. "Ah, well..." He raised his hand to the back of his head and scratched, a nervous tic of his, then cleared his throat before continuing. "Even though he was so busy that he never had the chance to sit down and teach me how to read, he taught me so many other valuable things. He showed me how to be compassionate to others, and he made me realize that I'm more than just a weapon. When he died...I thought at the time that it was the end of my world, " he said with remorse. Cecilia tried not to act shocked, but she couldn't believe that he had just spoken more words continuously than he ever had around her. She knew simply from how often Rudy visited Zepet's grave that the man must have meant a lot to him, even as a foster father.

"Wow, he certainly was a virtuous person," Cecilia replied with admiration. "My father was a very good role model for me also. I feel very fortunate for the people I've met in my life and the opportunities I've been given. Filgaia is definitely a place worth protecting." Rudy nodded in agreement.

"Have you been able to travel much recently?" Rudy asked softly.

Cecilia was glad that he was taking an interest in her affairs. "Not as often as before, of course, but they do let me out of the castle once in a while," she said jokingly. "So what plans do you have for the future? Gonna stay a Dream Chaser all your life? Or until you're too old and wrinkled, at least?" Cecilia asked, playfully nudging his shoulder.

"I don't have any plans of stopping anytime soon, seeing how there's still so much work on Filgaia left to be done. Unless, well...um, never mind." Rudy looked down at the ground, dejected.

"Unless what?" Cecilia wasn't trying to pry, so she asked in a courteous way.

After a long pause while Rudy gathered his thoughts, he said in a somber tone, "Unless I had a family and a place to call home...but that's not very likely to happen, anyway."

"Rudy!" she exclaimed, stopping in her tracks and turning him to face her. "Don't talk like that! Adelhyde welcomes you as your home now. I'm sorry that we weren't able to make the people in Surf see how amazing a person you are, but that's their loss and our gain. We are more than happy to have you right here." She pointed to the ground for emphasis. "And as for your family...every friend you've ever made is your family. You have one of the biggest families in all of Filgaia! We'll do anything we can to make you happy. Just let us know when you're feeling down and we'll be there for you." She embraced him (luckily for Rudy, it was not so tight this time that it was suffocating) and they held on to each other for several moments before letting go.

"I hope I was able to cheer you up, Rudy," Cecilia said in a sweet voice.

Rudy wanted so much to tell her what he was really thinking, but as he had done all those times before, he suppressed the urge. "Of course you did. You always do," he replied sincerely.

They both smiled at each other before Cecilia announced, "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry. Wanna go see what's for dinner?" Rudy nodded, and they walked through town back to the castle.

On the way there, Emma shouted from the 2nd floor window of her home, "Princess! Wait a second!" A few moments later, Emma met them outside where she said, "I'm very sorry if I'm interrupting Your Highness, but do you mind if I could talk with you for a few minutes? Alone?"

Cecilia looked over at Rudy and he nodded his approval. "Feel free to eat without me if I take too long," she said to him before he walked on to the castle.

Emma ushered Cecilia into her house in an empty room and closed the door behind them, donning a serious face as she looked at her friend. "Princess, please don't take this the wrong way because I wasn't intentionally peeping on you or anything. I only happened to be looking out my window and noticed you and Rudy out walking." Cecilia was already startled by the direction this conversation was going. Emma continued: "But you and I are such good friends that I hope you'll trust my advice and not think I'm trying to pry into your affairs." She cleared her throat. "So...after seeing how Rudy acts around you, I think it's pretty safe to say that he sees you as more than just a friend." Cecilia was dumbfounded. Not for what Emma was telling her since Cecilia already knew deep down inside that this was probably true, but for Emma bringing it out in the open. "You know that even though Rudy is very brave on the battlefield, he's probably too hapless when it comes to emotions to take the initiative here. He might even be afraid that he'll lose you as a friend if he makes a move and fails. You'll have to take the reins. So what's stoppin' ya?"

"It's...not like I haven't thought about it..." Cecilia was surprised to hear herself admitting this. Emma was the only one Cecilia trusted enough to give this kind of information to and not have to worry about it becoming tomorrow's gossip. "But it just wouldn't work out between us."

"Why so?" Emma questioned mischievously.

"Because...he's...much too different from me," Cecilia said uncertainly, not even convincing herself with this explanation.

"Are you talking about him having an artificial body?" Emma asked. Cecilia nodded slowly in agreement. Emma closed her eyes and sighed, putting her fingers of one hand up to her eyebrows as if in deep thought. "Princess, pardon me for saying this, but you are dense." Cecilia scowled at Emma for this comment. "People are supposed to be different, are they not? And haven't you told me before that Rudy is as human as a human can be in your eyes? I don't know why you would let artificial limbs come in the way of both of your happiness. Especially since you of all people should know that no one gets a choice in how they are born."

These words sunk into Cecilia deep. "I still don't know if I can...look past that part of him," she said in a hushed tone.

"Well, Princess, I've said my piece. It's your decision to make, and like I said, I don't want to pry into your personal life. It's just as a concerned friend that I decided to speak with you about this. I hope I didn't upset Your Highness." It amused Cecilia that even as long as she and Emma had been friends, Emma still would only refer to Cecilia by official, impersonal titles, even though Cecilia had asked her otherwise. Jack always gave the same reason that Emma gave for doing this-that it would be disrespectful to refer to a princess by her common name. To Cecilia, it just felt like an excuse for them to avoid going against the grain of tradition.

Emma added: "And if you don't snap him up soon...he may not be on the market much longer if I have anything to do with it," she sneered.

"Emma!" Cecilia huffed. She folded her arms. "Honestly!"