A/N: Ok. Chapter Three is Lolidragon. I finally have a confirmed structure for the rest of this fic.
Disclaimer: Nothing's changed. I still own nothing.
Lolidragon had been thoroughly surprised when Gui contacted her and begged her to come and talk to him. She guessed that if the bard was so upset it most likely had something to do with Prince. Idly, she wondered if Prince had added Wicked to his list of kisses, making Gui the only one left out.
"Lolidragon!" Gui exploded as soon as he saw her, "Does Prince like Kenshin?"
Lolidragon froze in surprise. Gui went on to explain that Prince had gone off alone with the demon and returned in a much better mood. He also detailed his own conversation with Kenshin.
Lolidragon's mind worked furiously. She had expected Prince to fall for Gui, found it likely he'd end up with Wicked, been prepared for him to grow fond of Fairsky or Icephoenix, even idly considered him being interested in Nan Gong Zui, but KENSHIN?
That couldn't happen could it? Surely Prince, of all people, could guess at the consequences. After all... Self-aware or not, Kenshin was a PET.
Wait, could that be it? A simple case of Prince being highly protective over the pet he'd worked so hard to free? That would make sense. He DID seem closer to Kenshin than Sunshine, but he'd known Kenshin longer and been saved by him.
Gui was still staring at her, desperate for reassurance. Having reasoned things out, Lolidragon smiled at him.
"I can't be certain until I see them together, but I'm sure it's just a case of them going through a lot together." Gui looked so doubtful that Lolidragon felt a sudden flutter of anxiety rush around her stomach, but quickly doused it. She would go and check on Prince, just to convince herself, and then put the ridiculous theory, based entirely on a misunderstanding, behind her.
"Lolidragon!" Sunshine, the first to spot her greeted her warmly, and hearing the name called out led Prince to look up and rush over. Kenshin followed closely behind Prince and the other three band members followed suit.
They were all pleased to see her, and she told them she was just checking up on them. Well, it was half the truth. She never let on what was going on, but she kept a special eye on both Prince and Kenshin.
She saw that the Demon Lord hardly ever left the Blood Elf's side. She saw that Prince chatted to him more than anyone else. She saw that Kenshin was greatly angered by Gui's flamboyant affection, although nowhere near as much as Wicked who had to be stopped before Gui lost a level.
She saw the warmth in Prince's face when he turned to his "pet." She saw it all, and began to doubt her perfect, neat theory that explained things nicely. The more she watched, the more anxious SHE became for confirmation that Prince's affection for Kenshin was purely platatonic.
It was a ridiculous concept, the thought that a Player could fall for an NPC, but hadn't Prince's whole journey been unbelievable? A girl playing as a guy on a game that's 99.9% realistic? A talking Meatbun? That married a Fire Phoenix? A straight, male demon bard falling for a male player? Prince just happening to meet her former crush who was still in love with after eight years first in the game and then in real life? Managing to get lost and ending up on a whole new continent? Doing two meant to be unbeatable sidequests? Given all that... maybe, just maybe, it WAS possible?
Lolidragon got Prince alone as soon as she could. Which involved telling Kenshin, first nicely, then tersely, then rudely, then getting Prince to do it for her, that he had to clear off for a bit.
"Prince!" Lolidragon demanded fiercely, ignoring his nervous expression, "How do you feel about Kenshin."
Lolidragon watched his face change slowly from surprise to thought. She felt uneasy at how long it took before he replied.
"At first... he was just someone I owed a lot. Then he became someone I felt responsible for. Now... He's one of the best friends I've ever had. When he made me laugh so hard, I felt better than I had for ages... And it's cute, y'know? He's got almost no experience at interacting or exploring, so he's always asking advice."
Lolidragon felt partly reassured. Prince obviously didn't love Kenshin, but he was growing very attached to him. Normally she would have loved such an interesting development, but Prince was her friend. She didn't want to see him hurt. Ever.
"Prince... He isn't real." She whispered, afraid that speaking any louder would reveal the tremble in her voice.
"Huh? But of course. I already knew that Lolidragon..." He seemed oblivious as always. Then, hearing Gui call, he bounded off.
Lolidragon could only watch helplessly as Kenshin immediately returned to Prince's side, and was greeting with a dazzling smile. Her unease was curbed by seeing him give a similar smile to both Gui and Wicked, but provoked by a significant difference in expression when he smiled at Sunshine. He thought he knew that Kenshin wasn't real... But deep down, she doubted that he had truly accepted the fact.
A/N: This fic is getting sadder as it progresses... Just for the record, I wasn't bashing the storyline mentioning how unrealistic the storyline is. That's just lolidragon realising that Prince is an exceptional player and anything is possible with him.
Next up is Nan Gong Zui.
Remember people, without FrostytheRadiator, NONE of this would have happened. I'd most likely have never even FOUND Half Prince. So EVERY chapter in this fic is dedicated to her.