Hello, VampireMassacrexx here.

I wasn't planning on having such a large break between the first story in this Collection and the second one but I couldn't find any time or the motivation to type up the next story but luckily, I managed to find some and so here it is.

What inspired this story was the fact that I wanted to show a more vulnerable side to Frey. Many characters in 'Rune Factory 4' have phobias. Forte is afraid of ghosts, Margaret of heights and Dr. Jones of blood but I wondered what it'd be like if the protagonist was afraid of something. I won't give away which fear I've chosen to give Frey but I hope my reasoning behind it intrigues you. I also hope that Leon trying to comfort Frey about her phobia id handled well. I must admit, I suck at giving advice and so if you can think of a way to improve upon what he says to her then let me know.

The reason I called this Collection 'The Saga of our Promises' is that I'm hoping to put a promise in each story, not because I was trying to be clever with the title or anything. I'm not sure if that's the way it'll play out but I hope it will and I hope you enjoy this story.

*Warning* May contain spoilers about the first and second Arcs of the game.

*I own nothing to do with 'Rune Factory 4', its locations, characters etc.*

Rated T.

Chapter Two: Fears and Longings

Frey sighed sadly. Today was the day. The worst day of the year, in her opinion though the likelihood of anyone agreeing with her point of view was very slim. For this was the day that welcomed in Summer every year. Yep, Beach Day. The one day where people spent their time parading around in as little material as possible because apparently in the short transition between Spring and Summer, the temperature rose so high that it was justifiable to do so!

She didn't hate it to begin with, when she first experienced it during her first Year of living in Selphia. She'd just rescued Amber and was taking some time out to become stronger and to get to know everyone better before tackling the challenges that came with the Water Ruins. The day was rather fun in all honesty. She wore a two-piece pink swimming costume. To be honest, it wasn't very flattering especially when compared with Forte's or Margaret's but it was all she could afford so soon after moving to Selphia.

It would be during her second Beach Day, a whole year after her first one that she'd come to detest that day and all it brought with it. By that time; Dylas and Dolce had joined their ranks and her relationship with Doug had become well…rocky to say the least. She was determined to save both Venti who by that time was incredibly sick and Leon, the man she'd never met but was willing to put her life on the line for if it meant being able to awaken him from the slumber that he was no doubt experiencing since the other Guardians had all been subjected to that.

It was little wonder then that she didn't feel like taking a day out to relax by the Beach with all of the other residents. How could she? When she arrived at the Beach, everyone was laughing and joking with each other but she could see it in their eyes, they all felt as if the town was incomplete. After all, with the acting 'Princess' of Selphia locked in a heated rivalry with someone they all viewed as a vital part of the community, the protector of the town possibly dying and with an air of uncertainty looming over the town and its future, it's little wonder that they felt that way. However, what they didn't know is that those tortured looks were like daggers in Frey's heart. She didn't blame them of course, but she was already tormenting herself enough without them adding to it especially since they'd begged her to join them at the beach in the first place!

She'd left the beach early after their faux contentment became too much to bear. Due to everyone being at the beach, the rest of the town was practically barren save the travellers who were unaware of the town's annual event. It was during this time that the fear set in. She wasn't wearing the unflattering costume from last year. Oh no, she'd chosen a green bikini that revealed a little too much for her liking but she'd been in a hurry and had grabbed the first costume she'd seen in her size and so here she was, wandering the streets of Selphia alone with nothing but her guilt-ridden thoughts for company. She saw group after group of travellers in the town square when she was approaching her room and for some reason, it seemed like all of them were staring at her. She could see a few of them raking her over with their eyes, no doubt catching an eyeful of Selphia's Princess in a swimming costume, but they were in the minority. For the most part, as she walked through the crowded area, the travellers just gossiped. They were asking about Venti, jeering at Frey and seemingly shaking their heads in disapproval at Venti's saviour apparently putting a day at the Beach with her friends above the safety of Selphia and of Norad.

By this time, Frey had had enough! She ran into her room and slammed the door behind her. Her heart pounding and her ears ringing loudly; a tight knot had formed in her stomach whilst her legs had begun to shake violently. Eventually she collapsed on the ground, the door behind her the only thing offering her support. No one was there to comfort her. Mind you; it was not like she could turn to any of them. It wasn't that she didn't trust them, it was just that saving Venti and the last Guardian was her responsibility! She had no right to complain about it and so, for the rest of the day and for most of the night she cried and allowed her fear to consume her completely...

This time around, the terrible experience from the previous Year had been engraved in her mind and was even sometimes the subject of her nightmares. This time around, Venti was nowhere to be seen within the town but at least her relationship with Doug now had a sense of stability about it. Hey! Someone as cheerful as Frey appeared to be all of the time had to look at the positives. This time her swimming costume was another bikini but it was more flattering of her figure than the childish pink one and the ridiculously skimpy green ensemble of the previous two years.

She glanced at herself in the mirror and sighed yet again but this time with a sense of resignation rather than sadness. "I can do this! I…I…I can go out there and smile. I'm their Princess. I have to be okay no matter what I face. So what if I'm suffering on the inside? This is just a stupid phobia! A stupid childish phobia. You've faced down Ethelberd; you've defeated terrifying monster after terrifying monster, you have no excuse to be afraid of this! I can no- I will overcome this."

With those unconvincing words echoing around in her head, Frey started in the direction of her door. As her hand made contact with the handle, she had just a second longer of hesitation before finally bracing herself enough to face what awaited her…

Leon tapped his fingers against the grass impatiently. He was sat leaning against a tree near Dragon Lake as he watched some of the other town residents enjoying the sun and the sand as well as splashing about in the cool water of the lake itself. Leon himself was in no mood to play at least, not without his favourite teasing victim around. Despite his teasing façade, Leon himself was a very guarded man; he had no time for splashing around and playing in the sand but he always had the time to be a tease. Today he'd dedicated his time to teasing Doug and Dylas mostly but for the most part he was bored out of his skull. Festivals weren't Leon's favourite thing in the world, he detested structure and having a day practically planned out for him was excruciatingly tiresome and was often a test of his patience.

Well, at least it gave him an excuse to walk about in nothing but a pair of swim shorts.

Leon rose from the ground and snuck away from the onslaught of people at the lake. He rubbed his hand against the back of his neck, not paying much attention to what was in front of him; he knew the route back to the Inn like the back of his hand. All of a sudden he felt a sudden impact. He reached out to steady the young woman who had just crashed into him; she was a familiar figure with green pigtails and rosy red cheeks except today she was wearing a red bikini that flattered her figure rather than her usual warrior attire. From what he'd heard she hadn't had much luck when it had come to choosing her swimsuits for the last couple of Beach Days but he wouldn't know since he was still sound asleep in a tower.

He'd been saved by her just three days after Beach Day of the previous year. Apparently, going by the other townsfolk; Frey's behaviour was rather peculiar from the moment Beach Day started up until the moment she'd returned from Leon Karnak after saving him and 'saving' Venti. She'd worked herself to the bone trying to conquer the Delirium Lava Ruins as quickly as possible and as soon as they had a way to get into the tower, she'd gone there despite not having much of a respite between the two ventures.

He held her arms and raised an eyebrow as he took in her appearance. He felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest. It hadn't taken him long to develop feelings for her in fact, he'd had feelings of her since he first laid eyes on her after his long slumber although he hadn't become aware of the extent of his feeling for her until he'd comforted her and held her in his arms after Venti's passing just a couple of seasons later. But he couldn't act on them, he wasn't at liberties to do so. After a few seconds of silence, he finally commented, "Not bad, you look adorable in that although I'm pretty sure that's not the look you were going for."

She pulled away from him and wrapped her arms protectively around herself. "He-Hey! I wasn't going for any look. Now if you'd excuse me."

Frey pushed past him and headed towards the lake but as soon as she reached the bridge that she needed to cross in order to get there, she halted. Her breath caught in her throat and it felt as if the ground beneath her was shaking but it was probably just her own legs.

"Is there something wrong?" The deep voice behind her made her jump out her skin as she whipped back around to face him.

"I-I'm fine, thank you. It's just…" She turned her head and indicated towards the lake. "I don't want to go there." She admitted, the tears flowing freely from her eyes. She suddenly felt stupid. She way crying and in front of Leon! He'd tease her about this into the next century!

Leon watched her in silence for a few minutes before witnessing her moment of vulnerability became too much to bear. He grabbed his fan and flicked it out to hide the bottom half of his face before grabbing Frey's arm and pulling her in the direction of his room.

Frey didn't object to his pulling her along and she was grateful that she didn't have to go back in the direction of her own room since the Square was brimming with travellers again.

After they'd arrived in the familiar room, Leon pushed Frey down onto his bed and passed her a drink of juice before sitting in the chair at his desk. He watched her as she took a little sip before asking her about what was upsetting her.

"I just don't like this day. I used to when I first came here however last year, Venti-"– Frey grimaced with pain at the mention of her beloved friend. - "She…she was possibly dying and instead of rushing to save her I was here! In town! Dressed in next to nothing whilst watching my friends having fun and playing by the beach! Hearing the travellers as they jeered at me, not like I didn't deserve it. I should've been out there doing everything within my power to save Venti and to…to save you!" She'd rose from the bed and had started to grip at her hair as her tone became incredulous. Her tears started to flow again as fell to the floor, no doubt pulled down by her own grief and guilt.

So this was the reason. Leon thought. The reason behind her odd behaviour the town had witnessed in the days that followed Beach Day. Guilt. Anger. Pain. They'd been her motives behind the rushed rescue mission.

He went over to her and wrapped his arms around her, she gasped in shock at the contact. Leon couldn't quite believe that he'd gone through with the sentimental gesture himself but he wanted to ease her pain. If he couldn't take it away completely, then he would do all that was within his power to show her that she wasn't alone. She could rely on him always even if he could never be hers and she could never be his. She turned around so that she could bury herself against his chest and as she did so, Leon said his piece:

'You don't have to feel guilty because no matter how much time it would've taken you still would have saved us. The town needed you to continue as if nothing had changed, they needed this festival; they needed the normalcy and that's what you gave them by taking part. By being there. You were and are entitled to breaks. You work so hard all of the time. If you'd been off fighting monsters and doing all of that brave amazing stuff that we all know that only you're capable of, then there's no way they could've enjoyed the festivities. Yes, they were worried about Venti but they were also worried about you and as for the travellers well…who cares? They were passing through. They didn't know just how much you cared, how much you all cared about Venti and the future of this town. Their gossip was based on hearsay, nothing more.

"If you ask me, you aren't afraid of Beach Day, you associate this day with the pain and the guilt that you felt last year but you have no reason to be afraid. I know that's easy enough for me to say but you really don't have to be because you're not alone and you never will be. Even if everyone else turns their backs on you- which, admittedly, I don't think will ever be the case- but if they do, then I'll still be here for you. No matter what."

She wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and sniffled as she met his gaze. "You mean that?"

"Yeah, I do. I promise to be there for you forever and always. After all, you're far too adorable for me to leave you alone for very long. Plus, making fun of you is one of my favourite pastimes. "- He ruffled her hair much to her dismay- "How would I fill up the hours of my day if I didn't have you around." His laugh boomed out around his room and eventually she joined in if a little hesitantly.

She grabbed his hand gently and started to play with his fingers. His laughter cut off rather abruptly as he studied her. A subtle heat began to rise in his cheeks and a wave of desire and longing came over it but he buried it deep. You're not allowed to feel this! He scolded himself mentally. "If I'm not alone then…then will you come with me back to the beach? I can't do this by myself! I still aren't brave enough believe it or not but Venti wouldn't want this for me! I know she wouldn't also, I think I'll be okay if you were there and if everyone else was too. All of my friends. Together. So…will you please come with me? I- I'd like you to be there." A blush rose in her cheeks with that last line as her emerald eyes met his piercing blue ones. They were still slightly red from all of the crying she'd done.

"Who am I to turn down an invitation from you, Princess? I'd be delighted to be your knight in shining armour."

"More like my knight in skin coloured swim trunks." She gestured towards the 'clothing'. "Just where did you get those?!"

"From the foxes at the tower; it's them turned into cloth."

"WHA-?! Really?!"

"Huh? No! I was just joking." He laughed again as he opened the door to exit his room. "I can't believe you fell for that! My cute, gullible Princess, I'm going to tease you and your descendants to the seventh generation about that."

Frey groaned. She knew that he would do, she couldn't believe she'd fallen for yet another one of his mind games. But through her embarrassment and the remaining traces of her unease, she felt a lot better about things. It was okay to be afraid of things after all, everyone is afraid of something. For Frey, it was letting people down but she hadn't let anyone down. She'd saved Leon; she'd saved her friends, Selphia and Norad. One day, she may even get the chance to save Venti for real but until that day came she would smile and overcome her fears step by step. As she and Leon walked back towards the beach, she glanced up at the man who seemed to always be there for her in her time of need even when no one else was and thanked him under her breath. She was glad to have him as her best friend even if he never wanted what she wanted; for their relationship to become something more…

I really like how this story ends, it's just that last line! Anyway, I hope that the third story in this Collection won't take as long for me to create but I can't make any promises. I would love some feedback for this story as I'd like some conformation that what I'm writing is actually good or if it isn't then what I can do to improve upon it. There isn't really a song that inspired this story but if I was going to choose a song that goes with it then it'd be 'I Got You' by Leona Lewis. I'm not really happy with the title of this Chapter so if you can think of an alternative then let me know.

Until next time. Xx

VampireMassacrexx