SO YEAH I DON'T KNOW HOW THE FIRST ONE WENT I'M PRETTY RUSTY BUT HOPEFULLY THEY GET BETTER OVER TIME.

I thought of the setting for Monday's prompt on my way to work this morning so I hope it's okay. I thought it was pretty cute.

This is Monday, February 9th's prompt: Nightmares or Day Dreaming

Pairing: Bado/Frey

Herewego!

It was nighttime now in the Forest of Beginnings. Frey staggered slightly, panting from exhaustion. She had already cleared through three waves of monsters. They were stronger than she remembered. Allowing herself to fall to the ground, Frey sighed.

She couldn't remember why she was back here, or why it was so dark. Usually the Forest is misleadingly bright and beautiful, but tonight it was different. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

"How did I get back here?" Frey wondered aloud. When she was here the first time, she was sure she wasn't coming back. When she did return, she vowed to never set foot near the tower of Leon Karnak ever again.

"Frey..."

She jumped. That couldn't have been the wind, could it? She could hear it as clear as day.

"Frey... hurry up! The Elder wants to talk to you!"

The Elder? She closed her eyes in thought. Something about that sounded almost familiar, but she could not place it.

When she opened her eyes again, she was shocked to find a figure standing before her.

He had blonde hair and wore strange clothes, but she couldn't make out his face. He didn't have one.

"Napping again? Geez...you're the chosen Earthmate. Come on, you have to be debriefed for your journey to Selphia!"

"Wait a second... I'm already in Selphia.." This was wrong. This was all wrong.

Whether he had heard her and chosen to ignore her, she couldn't tell. He didn't seem to react to her statement, but instead ran off.

"Hey, wait!"

Standing up, Frey stumbled to chase after the young man. With each step, her vision grew darker, until everything around her was pitch black.

"Uuff!"

She crashed face-first into a warm, solid mass.

"Hey, be more careful, will ya? Don't damage the merchandise."

She knew that voice. "... Bado?"

The large dwarf turned around to face her, looking at her with confusion. "...Hnn? Do I know you?"

Now it was her turn to be confused. "Bado... it's me, Frey!"

"Frey? nope, never heard of any Freys."

"I fell from the sky!"

The dwarf's body quaked with laughter, annoying Frey. "That's a crazy sales pitch! What are you selling, some kind of magical full-body armor?"

Figuring she was wasting her time with him, she ran past him in pursuit of the mystery boy once again.

"Hey, make sure you gather at the square this afternoon," Bado called out to her, "We're expecting a royal visitor!"

That was odd. Was a member of Arthur's family coming to visit? Frey tried to remember Arthur mentioning anything about it, when she suddenly entered a brightly-lit room.

The floors shined a bright white, almost glowing thanks to the fluorescent lights above. There were anatomy posters hanging on the white walls and an overpowering smell of disinfectant wafting through the air ducts.

"It was negative again, Jones..."

The woman sounded so dejected. A familiar blonde nurse walked into view. There was a small instrument clutched in her trembling hands.

Nancy's husband walked over to her and held her tightly. "It's alright, Dear. The fertility specialists said-"

Frey moved closer to the two. Judging by their lack of response, it was safe to say that for whatever reason, they could not see or hear her.

"I know what they said. I just... I really wanted to start our family. I kept praying for a miracle and then-"

"Shhh, shhh..." Jones broke apart from his sobbing wife to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. "All in due time, Dear. All we have to do is wait and see."

Nancy smiled at her husband's words, bringing up her free hand to wipe away her tears. "Yeah... I suppose you're right. Besides... while it's still the two of us...Doctor Jones..."

Uhh... I should probably get going... Her cheeks heated, Frey escaped the house of the perpetual newlyweds. "Wait a second..."

She stopped abruptly, in front of the Clinic's door. "Just the two of them? ...Where's Dolce and Pico...?"

Forgetting her initial goal, she ran straight for the Lake.

Sure enough, there was the Obsidian Mansion. But the bridge was broken once again. Or was it still broken?

Frey dropped to her knees. She couldn't make sense of anything anymore. As she covered her face with her hands in defeat, a voice called out to her.

"Who are you?"

She picked her head up and glanced around. She was alone.

"H...Hello?"

"I said. Who are you?"

What a silly question. "I'm...

...

..

Who amI?"

Running to the water, Frey stared into her reflection. Long, green hair, tied up in ponytails. Small frame. But when she got to her face...

Frey bolted upright, her entire body drenched in sweat, both from her rest and from the hot summer night. It took an eternity to catch her breath and get her bearings.

The Forest Of Beginnings had plagued her mind recently, but that was something completely different. Unable to sit still, the girl slipped on a pair of sandals and headed outside.

It was too damn hot out. And the fireflies, the damn fireflies. How was anyone expected to sleep like this?

Selphia's lazy blacksmith sat up from his bed, completely unable to get comfortable. On nights like this, the only cure for insomnia was, surprisingly, to work.

Bado chuckled to himself as he headed to his forge. His foster-daughter thought him to be so lazy. She would lose her head if she caught him actually working. But nights like these were when he actually worked his hardest.

Reaching for something to light his furnace with, he noticed a shadow walk past his window.

That's strange... patrol was twenty minutes ago. Figuring it was best (and probably more fun anyway) to check it out, Bado abandoned his forge and left his store, not even bothering to lock it behind him.

The shadow was headed west, he recalled, probably down to the lake where that eery old mansion lie.

He spotted her instantly as he passed the clinic.

Clad in a rather plain nightgown, her knees hugged tightly against her tiny body, sat the "Princess". She had carelessly tossed her sandals behind her as she allowed her toes to wade in the water, and her hair was released from her usual ponytails. Her hair, Bado realized, was much longer than he had thought.

"Do you know me?" She called out, her eyes never leaving the water. The smile on her face was melancholic.

"That's a weird question," the dwarf said, matter-of-factly as he strode to sit beside her. "You're Frey."

"That's good."

"Good that you're Frey?"

"Good that you know me."

He sat in silence for a moment, confused by what she meant. She kept her eyes on the water, making him feel almost like an intruder.

"Couldn't sleep?" He joked, obviously knowing the answer. "I bet that old castle gets really stuffy in the Summer."

Frey giggled slightly. "Yeah, it really does. ...What about you, Bado? Did I wake you?"

"Naa. Not at all. Couldn't sleep either, as a matter of fact."

More silence. The girl looked like she wanted to ask him about something, but she seemed to have trouble finding the right words.

"Bad dream?"

She looked up at him, eyes wide. Bingo.

"I know a good way to get over a bad dream."

"... You do?"

The dwarf crossed his arms, smiling lazily at the younger woman. "Of course. Just forget them."

"Forget them?"

"Forget them."

Frey's eyes went straight to her feet. He messed that one up really nicely. Amnesiac. Right. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"I'm afraid."

"Huh?"

She looked up at him, those captivating green orbs of hers threatening to spill tears, sending a dull ache through the dwarf's chest. "At first... I was afraid that I would never be able to remember who I was. But that doesn't compare to this."

She took a deep breath, attempting to collect herself before she continued. "I'm afraid of forgetting again. Forgetting everything, and having everyone forget me."

At this, Bado laughed. Really laughed. His body was shaking, and he was afraid he was going to wake up the whole town. Once he had regained composure, he looked down at the now-angry girl.

"I'm sorry, it's just... that's impossible."

"What do you mean?"

"What I'm saying is... you're one of a kind, kid. There's no way any of us could ever forget you. And if you forgot who we were one day, we would pester you until you remembered us again."

In the glow from the fireflies, Bado noticed the dark tint that crept onto her cheeks, causing his own face to grow hot in reaction.

"You really think so?"

The blue-haired man cleared his throat abruptly in an attempt to draw attention away from his face. "I know so. Because I'm an old man."

Frey's smile was genuine now, having cheered up exponentially thanks to their little chat. She yawned heavily and sprawled out, resting her head on his lap.

"Umm...Frey...?" He muttered awkwardly. He was starting to feel really warm. "You shouldn't do that...not with me...because I'm..."

"An old man...?" She teased, voice dreamy. It was obvious that she was much too tired to care. "I'm sorry, Bado. I just can't..."

The girl broke into light snoring. Like this, she almost seemed like Clorica. The dwarf smiled warmly, stroking her hair with his right hand.

"You know," he whispered, "If I was about ten years younger..."

He decided to let her rest like that for the next twenty minutes before carrying her back to her room and tucking her in.

Man, I'm old.