Today was the return of the annual bridal festival. It was a strange festival where even people who weren't getting married could dress up in wedding gowns. Today was also the day that Anna had decided that the best way she could raise the Order's profit margins were not by doing a donation campaign like any sensible person would do, but by shoving me into a wedding dress complete with all the gaudy bits and baubles. The only thing that I was able to convince her to let me do is to keep the lace veil over my face. I sighed. This was not how I had envisioned my wedding dress to look like but for some reason I just couldn't say no to Anna either. She too was down in the dumps from the king's death and I was just the perfect money making sche- er… I mean distraction for her. It would've felt heartless to take away the one thing that was making her happy at the moment, so I went along with the charade.

"Anna are you really sure this'll work? I mean… I don't think that a lot of people would pay for photos of me in a dress. Plus I don't want any weird creeps trying to hit on me. There's only one person that I want to…" I stopped myself from saying anything more.

"Oh ho! Do tell!" Anna suddenly donned some glasses and a journalist hat and held a notebook and pen in her hands.

"Oh geez… please don't tell me that you are going to start writing for the National Enquirer. It sounds like a bad business deal for the Order if you start writing tabloids for money. Just stick to the photos please." I begged

"I am not going to sell your information to the entire kingdom for money! What kind of girl do you take me for?"

"A businesswoman who really loves money. Maybe a little bit too much."

"Of course I love money! But I'm not completely heartless you know? My side businesses exist for the benefit of The Order of Heroes, after all. We need money to get the supplies we need on a regular basis, so I am using my merchant skills to help out. Besides, you've been the talk of the kingdom lately. People are curious about the Summoner now that they know what you've done for Prince Alfonse. I'm just giving them the opportunity to get a glimpse of you for the low, low price of 500 gold!" Anna winked at me mischievously.

"Let's just get this over with. The veil stays on though. If the public sees my face then the enemy will know what I actually look like and that will make it easier for them to attack me. The less people outside of the Order know about me, the better. It's for the best that I'm perceived as the mysterious summoner for now."

"Fine. The photos would sell more if they could see your face better, though."

I posed for the photo while Anna used her tome to take the photo. As Anna began taking photos of me, my mind wandered off to thinking about my future. Would I eventually get married for real one day? Would I be married to Al? What would he think of the dress that I was wearing? Does he even like me in that way? While I was planning on telling him how I felt about him soon, I didn't know when would be a good time to do it. I did promise to tell him of my 'secrets' at the end of the week, but that was before I knew that Gustav was going to take Alfonse's place by Hel's side. Now that his father is dead, it seems like it would be poor taste to confess my feelings to him then.

"Oh Kiran! Is that you? That dress looks beautiful on you."

I turned my head and saw Fjorm who was also wearing a wedding gown. Admittedly, she was actually a very beautiful woman in her own right. The dress was so perfect on her. It really fit her sweet and kind personality to a tee. Perhaps, in an alternate version of this world, this would've made my knees weak, and my palms sweaty… but in my heart, I knew it wouldn't work out beyond a friendship.

"Yep, it's me. I'm surprised that you knew it was me. I'm not wearing my normal coat and I'm wearing a veil over my face…" If one looked hard enough, you could see my surprised expression through all the netting and lace of my veil.

"Your dress has the Askran crest on it and the way you carry yourself gives it away for me. You always seem to have a way with drawing people in. You just have a certain aura about you." Fjorm blushed slightly

"Well that's the first time I've heard that from someone. I don't think I'm that interesting. I'm just the weirdo that covers her face and does tactics. I'm not even that good at it either… the others are far more talented. I mean… Robin can do crack tactics and fight. I'm just kind of a sitting duck if I get separated from whomever is guarding me."

Fjorm shook her head at me. "Well you are training with tomes right? That just means you just need to keep working hard on it. Besides, just because Robin is a crack tactician, that doesn't make you less interesting. You're so kind and generous… you saved me from being buried in the snow and you went out of your way to protect Alfonse earlier without a second thought."

"That? I've told you before you don't owe me anything for saving you. I'm sure anyone else with basic human decency would choose to do the same thing. As for Alfonse… He is important to me. I just wanted him to live. I couldn't imagine the Order without him you know?"

Anna shivered at the thought of it. Things would definitely wouldn't be the same without the Prince. "Please don't remind me… I almost lost a friend that day." Anna sniffed

"Sorry, Boss. It's not a day I like to remember either, so I wont bring it up too often."

"I-I'm sorry! I'm the one who brought it up… it is I who should be apologizing." Fjorm said quickly.

"I'll accept both of your apologies for now…." Anna then looked at me and then at Fjorm. She then snapped her fingers.

"I've got it! Fjorm would you mind taking pictures with Kiran? A picture with both the Tactician of Askr and the Princess of Nifl is sure to attract customers!"

I could practically see Anna's eyes light up dollar signs. At the same time, I could see Fjorm blushing. Probably from embarrassment. Eventually, Fjorm nodded her head and consented to let Anna take photos of her and sell them. I was rather shocked that she even agreed to it but I really couldn't complain about it. While I was still a bit miffed that Anna had me doing photo shoots on my day off, it wasn't all that bad. It was actually kinda fun dressing up like this.

"Ok Kiran, I want you to hold Fjorm bridal style."

I sighed… did she really have to go there? I mean… that would make it look like we were an item when we are just friends. I shook my head at myself. So what if it looks like that? It's just supposed to be a fun pose and nothing more. I lifted her up in my arms bridal style. She was actually much lighter than I had anticipated.

"K-Kiran! I didn't know that you were so strong!" Fjorm stuttered

"I'm of average strength. You're just very lightweight. I don't quite understand it… I thought you would be a little heavier. Muscle weighs more than fat and I'm sure you have plenty of muscle tone. Or at least I think you probably do. I can see that you at least have some muscle in your arms though…" To be honest, I was almost envious of her body. She has nice arms and I'm just some weirdo with a gun. The worlds work in mysterious ways I guess. Fjorm's face turned into a deep shade of red.

"Alright perfect! We got a blushing bride on our hands here! Now say cheese!" Anna cheered, eager to take the photo. We both smiled at her before the flash of the tome went off. I never liked being on the receiving end of the flash function of a camera but the way Anna's tome seems to replicate how cameras work in my world always amazes me.

When she was satisfied with the photos she's taken, Anna let me put Fjorm down. Fjorm quickly glanced at me and then quickly looked away. I was confused but I just figured that she wasn't used to doing this sort of thing. Perhaps, I thought, I should take her away from the situation.

"Hey, Boss. Fjorm was just telling me that the champagne here is to die for. Mind if we take a break and try it?" I gave Fjorm a wink as I say this.

"Well, it's your day off. I don't have much right to keep you working for much longer. Do catch the bouquet will ya? It'll be worth big money" Anna winked at me.

"I doubt it. It's only supposed to work for whoever catches it. The luck charm wouldn't transfer if someone bought it."

"Please Kiran… why must you hurt me in this way?" Anna pouted.

"I'm not trying to! I just don't want to see you get all worked up over the money making potential of the festival without even stopping to enjoy it for what it is. Besides, if those photos turn out well, then you will have already achieved your goal." I say while trying to turn the situation into a positive one.

"Kiran… you do care!" Anna sniffled and gave me a big hug.

"Of course I care… I'm just really bad at keeping a grudge. You may have been the one to summon me but… it's rather unfair of me to keep being angry over something that was out of our control. Despite everything… I think of us as more than just Legendary Summoner and Commander. You're my friend too."

"T-thank you Kiran!"

Fjorm just stood there and smiled at the both of us. I guess Anna must've been feeling very left out lately and this was her way of thanking me for spending time with her and her money making schemes. Suddenly, I found myself being hugged by both Anna and Fjorm at the same time.

"Um guys… you can stop now… I cant… breathe!"

"Sorry!" They both squeaked out after releasing me from the death squeeze. Not today, Hel. Not today. I shook my head at myself.

"I love you guys too. I completely understand too… my feminine charms affect both men and women alike. I'm just simply irresistible~" I say as I batted my eyelashes excessively and used a falsetto voice to emphasize the joke that I was making. Well, they probably couldn't see me do the eyelash thing very well since the veil obscures my face, but I was hoping that they can figure it out with the vibes I was trying to project onto them.

"Oh by the gods… you are worse than Laslow. I didn't even know that was possible" Anna snickered.

"I was actually going for more of an 'Oliver' vibe but yeah you got me. Im sure Laslow means well but… he's kind of clueless I guess." I shrugged.

"I'm still surprised that you can put up with his flirting, Kiran"

"He stopped when I eventually told him that I had my eye on someone else. It seems that to me, he only flirts on a surface level. I think he is hiding behind his flirting… I am not sure what for exactly though. It might be something to do with the future past of the World of Awakening, but that's just a guess" I say while folding my arms.

"You can actually notice that?" Fjorm asked in amazement

"Sort of? He's flirted with me in the past, but he only seemed to be half interested in me. He only really seems to have an interest in Azura. He gets so nervous around her now, but I think they are very cute together. I mean they both share a passion for the performing arts and stuff so it makes sense. His daughter Soleil seems to be the same way but instead with Ophelia. Soliel is a cute girl and all, but I am not interested in her in that way. I did give her a gemstone to give to Ophelia though, so I'm hoping that it'll work out between them. Now if only I could work up the courage to…"

"Ohhhh? Are you talking about the mystery guy you were talking about earlier?" Anna winked and then elbowed me slightly in the ribs

"Well, the person I like could be a girl or a guy. I don't discriminate. Either way, I won't tell you who it is."

"Whoever it is, I'm sure they'll say yes if you tell them how you really feel. They'd be lucky to have you." Fjorm smiled

"Y-you really think so, Fjorm? I mean… I don't know if now is a good time to do so. After everything that's happened with the war and all… it just seems inappropriate to do it right now"

"I know so! You are one of the kindest people I know. You've helped so many people here without asking for anything in return. I'm sure lots of people would like you for your big heart!"

"I dunno about that. You are making me sound like a saint or something… I'm far from that. I'm just doing what I can to do my part I guess. I'm supposed to be this legendary summoner, but all I ever do is make people worry about me. Not to mention, that while I don't usually ask for anything back, I don't always do these things just because I like helping people. I mean I do like helping people but… I do it because I'm selfish. I feel like if I do these things… then maybe I will feel like I'm being useful. More than anything… I fear that one day I'll just be left behind. If I'm a useful person, then I won't be forgotten and left behind. Only an idiot would throw away someone who gives them stuff or does nice things for them."

"Kiran… that's horrible. Do you truly see yourself that way?" Fjorm looked upset with me.

"I know it's not true but… sometimes those negative thoughts like to resurface on occasion. Just because I feel a certain way about myself sometimes, doesn't mean that I'll let it take hold of me. I have friends here who encouraged me ever since I arrived in this world. Sharena has always been my best cheerleader from the very start and while Alfonse took a while to warm up to me, he eventually started supporting me and encouraging me. Now, we are best friends. I can't imagine what I would do without them now. And then there's you, Fjorm… you are far more kind and gentle than I am. I'm glad that I had managed to save you from that snowstorm. You are an invaluable friend to me"

"Truly? You really mean it?" Fjorm's face lit up

"Of course. I wouldn't have it any other way." I cheered

It was then that a familiar messenger owl flew towards me and perched herself on my shoulder. In her beak was a small delicate envelope. I took the envelope from Feh and opened it with absolutely no regard for the quality of the envelope paper. It was a bit different from how I have seen Alfonse or Fjorm open their letters. They tend to be much more delicate with their envelopes and even go as far as to use fancy letter openers. However, if you are like me, ain't nobody got time for that shit.

After I had finished almost completely demolishing the envelope, I took the letter that was inside. I quickly skimmed through the contents of the letter. It was in Alfonse's handwriting... this guy had nicer handwriting than me and I was actually jealous of his penmanship. To be fair though, penmanship is not as important as it used to be in my world with the advent of computers and printers.

"Dear Kiran,

I hope Feh gets this letter to you safely and that you are also safe and sound. I have a few things I wish to discuss with you concerning Nah's rampages in the forest. I think you would be able to come up with a solution to this issue, since you have quite the knack for befriending Heroes. I know I should not concern you with your duties on your day off, but it is a matter of import.I wish I could have attended the festival with you but the amount of paperwork I've been needing to attend to has been stacked higher than I am tall. While I'm not as fond as dressing up for these festivals as you are, anything is better than this dull task. Even dressing up as a groom would be a relief. I know that I will be expected to choose a bride soon, but I haven't given marriage much thought at all. It's been the least of my worries as of late, with the war against Hel going on at the moment. I'm also currently doing research in the library. I'm desperately trying to find anything that can tell us how to defeat Hel. Unfortunately, I've yet to find anything that would be of use to us. I'm sure you hadn't found anything in the library, but I had hoped you had missed something there during your last search.Anyway, I hope you are enjoying yourself. Try not to get too involved in any of Anna's new 'get rich quick' schemes. Also, please try not go to anywhere by yourself. I know that you don't want to be escorted around all the time, but I fear that Hel will try to target you next one day. I cannot help but feel anxious whenever you go out on your own, but I know it wouldn't be good to keep you all cooped up in the castle. I will be awaiting your safe arrival tonight.

Warmest Regards,

Prince Alfonse"

A smile slowly crept across my face until it was wide enough to where even Fjorm and Anna could see it through my veil. I really couldn't help it... he is such a huge dork and getting letters from him always makes me smile. I folded the letter and put it in my dress pocket.

"Hey Kiran, who's the letter from hmmmm?" Anna winked at me teasingly.

"Th-That's none of your business Anna! It's just a letter!"

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone your secret. My lips are sealed!~" Anna teased me some more.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I yelled out in a panicked frenzy

"It means that you are terrible at hiding things. I think I've just figured out who your secret crush is. The seal on the envelope gave it away."

"Goddamnit…"

Anna grinned at me mischievously, while Fjorm sighed as if she had been defeated in someway. I decided that now was a good time to politely excuse myself from this conversation. Fjorm looked super uncomfortable with the subject of my love life being brought up constantly by Anna and I was going strategically use that to my advantage.

"Hey I think the bouquet is going to be thrown soon, wanna come Anna?"

"Nah, I think I'll pass. I don't really believe in those superstitious traditions, so you guys can go without me. Besides, I have everything I need right here." She said motioning to her tome that she'd been using the whole day.

"Well Fjorm, I guess that makes it just you and me. Wanna go catch the bouquet together?" I winked at her playfully.

"O-of course! I w-would love to go with you!"

"Alrighty! Let's go find the other brides then!" I then proceeded to grab Fjorm's hand and dragged her all the way across the other side of the festival grounds. In all of my excitement, I failed to realize how flustered Fjorm was the entire time.

"Um… K-Kiran, could you… maybe… slow down a little bit… please?" Fjorm said in exasperation.

I then suddenly let go of her frigid hand in surprise. "Oh right! Sorry! My bad! I won't do it again, I promise. I think we are getting close though."

I pointed at the pavilion where a stage had been set up for the annual bouquet throwing ceremony. A couple of heroes were getting on stage. More specifically, It was Louise being lovingly escorted center downstage by her husband Pent. Louise really was a picturesque bride and her entire being radiated a glowing happy aura. It appeared that Louise was the one who was going to throw the bouquet this year. I guided Fjorm down to the pavilion and put us in a strategic position where we would be most likely to catch it. I had guessed that as an archer, she would be able to launch the coveted bouquet much farther than the brides from previous years. I've seen her handle bows with incredible draw strengths, so of course, I took that into my consideration. Unfortunately, a crowd of brides started to gather below the stage so I couldn't get in the exact position that I had wanted to be in.

Louise then gave a whole speech about marriage and talked about how meeting Pent changed her life in many ways. Basically, typical stuff you would hear from married couples who have managed to stay afloat. She then threw the bouquet and I swear that every single woman dressed up as a bride went into a ravenous frenzy. It was complete and utter chaos until both Fjorm and I had both managed to catch it at the same time. I ended up giving it to Fjorm though, since I knew that it would make her happy. Fjorm beamed at me with an infectious smile that radiated happiness and warmth despite her chilly origins.

"You really didn't have to do that you know… thank you. Are you sure that you don't want it?"

"Nah… besides I've got all the luck I need here and right here" I say while pointing to my mind and then to my heart.

"Then perhaps one day I'll…" Fjorm stopped herself from finishing her sentence.

"You'll what? Come on, don't leave me in suspense like that!"

"I'll get married to the one I fell in love with." She blushed heavily.

"Oh! I didn't know that you liked someone. I won't pry though. I know how uncomfortable it feels when people try to dig up your love life. In any case, I feel the same way. About getting married I mean."

"I just don't think that they feel the same way about me though." Fjorm sighed

"Well you can't knock it until you tell them how you feel about them yourself. If they love you back, then it's a win. If not, then it wasn't meant to be. It doesn't mean that you are a bad person or anything. I had to learn that one with the first person I had a crush on. She… wasn't into girls though and I felt crushed afterward. Looking back on it, though… Even if she was into girls, it wouldn't have worked out at the time. Our interests and personalities probably wouldn't have mixed well. Everything will work out for you in the end somehow. At least, that is what I believe."

"So how did you go about asking your crush? I mean…" Fjorm's voice trailed off as if trying to find the right words.

"Well if you really want to know… It wasn't easy for me at the time since I was only just starting to realize that I was attracted to both genders. There's a school of thought in my world that believes that gender identity is on a spectrum and not on a binary, but right now I'm talking about liking men and women in general. Eventually, I just finally just worked the courage one day and she turned me down. It was soul crushing at first but I eventually found and dated two other girls. Obviously both relationships ended, but if you really want to know how to ask a girl out then it's just best to be upfront. You can't dance around dropping hint and expect them to understand. It's the same thing for guys, but with girls it's a bit harder because you don't know for sure if they are even attracted to other girls unless you ask them."

"I don't think I am ready to confess, but thank you. I'm not as upfront as you are about that sort of thing. You seem so confident about yourself when you talk about it… I just wish I were that brave." Fjorm seemed to be conflicted for a moment but also just trying to soak in the information that I had given her.

"I'm actually quite terrified usually. I just prefer to be the one to ask because it cuts out the guesswork and the disappointment from them not getting any of the hints that I'm into them. Girls are socially expected to be pursued and not be the pursuer, so not many girls I've met were comfortable with doing that and try dropping hints. Some guys also like it because it takes the burden off of their shoulders. If it's a girl that they like, it's super attractive to them. Though I'm not sure if that's something guys in this world would find appropriate." I frowned for a moment. Would Alfonse like a woman who takes that kind of initiative? I suddenly felt my stomach tying itself up into a tangle of knots

"Then I still think it's brave and admirable. You do it even if you're afraid! That's one reason why I think you are amazing."

"Thanks. If you have any other questions, just ask. That's what friends are for, you know?"

"I will! I'm so glad that I can talk to you like this. It feels like some of the weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

"That's good to hear. I figure that if I could make things easier for people by passing down what I know, then it would make the world a better place. It would be much better than using my knowledge for warfare. I mean… when this war is over, I wouldn't mind teaching a few things to people. It's not my dream job, but perhaps Askr could benefit from it. I dunno does that sound weird to you?" I blushed from embarrassment

"No. I actually think that sounds great. There's hardly a moment when I don't see you reading an old book and when you talk about the history of your world you get this glint in your eye and you become elated. Once you get going, it's hard to stop. I guess I can tell that the passion is there."

"Well I'm more of an aspiring Historian. My focus has been shifting to studying the history of this world lately though. I have not had much headway though. I can't seem to read most of the old records in the castle because the old Askran language is different from the way it is now. Luckily I know an even bigger nerd than I am so I'm willing to bet that I will be able to learn the language soon. Ahhhh… just thinking about it makes me feel all tingly inside!" I was practically jumping up and down at the thought of sifting through the records with a full understanding.

"Well in that case, maybe one day you could come visit my home in the Nifl Palace and look at the records there as well. I could give you a basic rundown of the major historical events of Nifl, but I'm afraid I don't know as much as my sister and mother did."

"That's still really great though! I will happily take you up on your offer. Promise me that you will give me a tour of Nifl and stuff next time I visit! I never got to properly explore Nifl when we were fighting Muspell so I think it would be cool to experience the culture firsthand. I'm not very used to being in the snow or being super cold in general but I'm used to living on a tropical island. And before that, in the middle of a dessert. Quite the opposite of Nifl in due respect."

"I would happily show you around Nifl on your next visit then. Do you think you could show me your world if the opportunity ever comes up? I would love to see those 'cars' and 'skyscrapers' I've been hearing about."

"Sure! I think it would be interesting to see you experience it. Especially if we go to my place. I live on a tropical island so it's very warm. I just wish it wasn't so expensive to live there. Everything is so overpriced because it's a popular vacation spot for lots of people."

"Maybe we could go swimming then?" Fjorm asked

"Sure. We could go to my Dad's place. He lives very close to the beachfront. It'll be less crowded that way."

"I'll be looking forward to it then, Kiran" Fjorm smiled warmly.

"Then it's a promise then. We will each show each other our homelands when the opportunity arises"

Fjorm nodded and we shared a hug together. Her body was icy to the touch, but under the ever rising June heat it was surprisingly refreshing. At that moment, I was able to forget all of my worries.

A/N: So I have a slight announcement to make. I will be delaying the release of the next chapter so I can catch up on my writing. I ran out of back up chapters because... the chapters I've been writing have been getting much longer than they were when I originally uploaded the first chapters. Another reason is that I was on vacation for the week of the fourth of july to see family out of state and I didnt have much time to write then. Im still playing catch up with chapter 11 tbh. Ive also been brainstorming ideas for future chapters that I've been wanting to write for awhile but I'm not far enough in the story to put down those ideas in writing yet. The release of chapter 9 did throw slight monkey wrench into some of my plans so im currently tweaking those as well since I was originally operating under the theory that Eir was the other Sharena which seems to not be the case now. I know one likes excuses but I do want to let you guys know where I'm at in the writing process and I want to be a bit transparent so there are no unintended surprises. So far, I'm surprised that people even read my A/Ns. Im pretty guilty of skipping Authors notes entirely and not actively leaving feedback for fanfics that I follow. Anyway, thanks for continuing to read this by the way.

Also, Im going to keep shipping of the Fates and Awakening Characters to a minimum for my own personal sanity. I dont wanna keep a shipping flow chart to keep track who is parent to which child on file at all times just write a fanfiction. With that said, I just think AzuraxLaslow makes the most sense to me as a pairing since in their supports, Azura is the one who expresses intrest in Laslow first instead of Laslow pursuing Azura. Also they share a passion for the preforming arts so it checks all the boxes for me. Also some light SolielxOphelia shipping and maybe some future F!RobinxChrom as a ship but I dont really plan on it. I just think it makes the most sense as ship instead of SumiaxChrom. Anyway, Im going to stop rambling about fates/awakening ships or we will be here all day and this A/N is already long enough as is

Funfact: when I originally wrote the scene where Anna is taking the photo of Kiran and Fjorm, I actually wrote it as "Say Alimony!~" because I thought it would be a funny dumb joke to make and maybe be a reflection on Anna's personal feelings towards getting married herself, but then I realized that it raises a lot of questions about Askran culture that Im not sure I should tackle or answer yet. Mainly, how the citzens of Askr view divorce, or if divorce is even allowed in the kingdom. After that, I decided that a generic "Say cheese" would suffice instead.