"Okay guys, I missed you all too!" Frey laughed loudly as her woolies and buffamoos brought her to the ground. She was greeted with many hugs from the wooled monsters and licks from the milk givers. The farmer then took out her brush and used it on each monster.
"Oh yes, Mommy did miss you all so vewwy much!" She repeated, using a tone likely to the one a mother would give her baby or pet. "I hope you were all very nice with the butlers! They tried to keep you all happy." The princess chatted as she filled the fodder boxes.
After another well needed hug and cuddle session with her monsters, she headed back into the castle to chat with Ventuswill. The Divine Dragon looked at Frey with a smile.
"How was your sleep, my hero?" She questioned. The Princess playfully rolled her eyes at the nickname. "I had a very good sleep, my damsel in distress." She began, Venti dramatically scoffing at her own nickname.
"I'm sure I would have slept much longer if it wasn't for Dylas." Frey ended, sitting in front of the dragon. "Ah, that Dylas." Ventuswill began with a sigh. "He was worried about you, Frey."
"I know he was." The Princess nodded. "He asked Porco for a break from work so that he could give me breakfast for the day. He told me how worried he was." With this, Frey played with a strand of her hair. "Well, he does it for good reason, Frey."
The dragon nuzzled her cheek. "He tries his best to repay you for rescuing him from his slumber, even after knowing that I was the one who told you to. From what I've observed thus far, you two have become very close friends since you've saved him."
"And I'm glad we did." Frey smiled. "I really do love what we have." Her face grew a slight red and she attempted to turn it away from Ventuswill, but the dragon noticed fully well. "Aww, do you?" She teased, nearing the farmer's face. Frey let out a nervous giggle. "Yes I do, Venti! I can only hope that he doesn't mind it, though. It's kind of difficult for even I to figure out what goes on in that horsie head he's got." With this, the farmer shrugged.
Ventuswill sat straight back up and cleared her throat. "I doubt that he minds your friendship at all. He treasures his friendship with you, you know."
"Did he tell you that?" Frey asked, eyes wide in interest and surprise.
Uh oh. I should not have said that.
Venti's own eyes widened in shock. "U-um, forget I told you that. Please, Frey." The Divine Dragon begged, her voice scared. "Venti, please tell me. Did he tell you anything I need to know?" Frey urged, inching closer to Ventuswill's face.
"I just want to know if he's at least happy with me!" The dragon huffed loudly. "I will at least tell you this, Frey. He was very worried about you while you were gone. He cares about you very much."
"I guess that's enough for me." Frey backed away a bit, patting Ventuswill on the head. The Divine Dragon made sure to lick Frey's entire face soon as revenge sometime for the princess treating her like a dog. "I worry about him sometimes, too." Frey confessed. Venti noticed Frey's sudden change in tone, it turning into a nervous one. "I find myself wanting to be near him and wanting to spend time with him a lot more than we have before. I hope he wouldn't mind that." She looked away, a small red tint on her cheeks.
Ventuswill gave Frey a small smile. "I don't think he'd mind spending as much time possible with you either, Frey." These words brought a certain warmth to Frey's heart. "Now, go and say hello to the other villagers. I'm sure they've all missed you too." The Divine Dragon nudged Frey's body towards the castle entrance.
"Okay, Venti. Thanks for talking with me." The farmer grinned and walked off into town.
I hope nothing gets in between them...
Already it seemed like some of the villagers were on their way to visit Frey. She noticed Forte, Margaret, and Clorica heading towards the entrance. Their worried faces turned into excited ones when they saw Selphia's princess up and about.
"Princess Frey!" Forte exclaimed with a wide smile, then quickly clearing her throat and giving Frey a hug. "I mean, um, Princess Frey." The dragon knight repeated in a calmer and bolder tone. The farmer returned the hug and nuzzled Forte's cheek.
"You don't have to hide it, Forte. I missed you very much too!" Frey said, giving the knight a slight squeeze. This caused Forte's cheeks to grow red and she nodded quickly with a quiet "I missed you very much."
"Frey!" Margaret started, giving the princess a hug after Forte backed away. "I heard you were back, and I just couldn't wait to see you again! How was everything? Get hurt badly anywhere? Is everything in tip-top shape?" Frey giggled as the elf poked and prodded her, listening for any hurt sounds at every touch.
"Everything feels great now that I'm back." She grinned at Margaret, causing the elf to clap happily. "Oh, I'm so glad! Selphia's princess remains strong as ever!" She sung out with glee.
It was Clorica's turn to welcome Frey. She walked towards the princess with arms stretched out. When Frey welcomed the hug, the butler snuggled her head into the space above her shoulder. "Ah, Frey. You're as cozy as usual." Clorica began with a soft tone. "The villagers have missed you, you know. We were worried that you or Lady Ventuswill wouldn't be able to make it back."
Frey patted the top of Clorica's head and got a happy sigh from the butler in return. "Well, the both of us are here now, Clorica. I missed you all too." Clorica gave Frey one more squeeze and backed away. "I'm so happy to have my nap buddy back." She said with a smile, accompanied by a small yawn.
"I'm glad I have mine back too." Frey agreed with a giggle. "You guys should see Ventuswill, too! She's all rested up and ready to chat with everyone." She told the three. Forte, Margaret, and Clorica all lit up.
"I should greet her highness and tell her how I protected the town in her absence." Forte nodded as she walked towards the castle, Margaret and Clorica following behind her.
Frey decided to make her rounds and visit the rest of the villagers. Jones and Nancy expressed their happiness and relief by giving her some medicines to ensure that she was truly feeling fine after the journey. Pico told the princess that she and Dolce missed her, though Dolce was denying her feelings as usual.
Bado attempted to sell Frey a "keep Ventuswill safe" charm that was just a small piece of rainbow painted wood hung onto a piece of string. Although the farmer declined his offer, he gave it to her for free, saying "Just in case, ya never know what could happen."
Frey then decided to say hello to Arthur, explaining how everything went and wondering how he would deal with this information.
"Ah, yes, I'd heard that you returned with Lady Ventuswill last night." He began when he looked up from his paperwork to see the princess stand before his desk. The prince smiled. "And the final guardian? Leon, right?"
Frey nodded. "Yeah, he moved into Lin Fa's inn." Arthur lifted his glasses up onto his nose, interested. "I must have a talk with him sometime. It is quite brave of these four guardians to risk themselves like that to keep Ventuswill alive." He murmured.
"Not brave that I just got back from risking myself to do the same?" Frey teased with a smile. This caught Arthur off guard. "Oh, o-of course it is! My apologies, I've been distracted by the guardians." The prince apologized with a blush. "I find you to be a very courageous woman." He said with a nod.
"I was just playing, workaholic!" The princess assured him. "Ah, but it is true, is it not?" Arthur pondered out loud.
"You came here with no memory and gladly took on the role of princess, leading Selphia perfectly. You've also gone on countless explorations for Selphia and Lady Ventuswill's sake. I find myself quite envious of her for having such a dependable person to look onto." He ended with a genuine smile. Now it was Frey's turn to blush.
"O-oh, well..." She started with a nervous smile. "Thank you, I guess." she played with her fingers. "Of course, Frey." Arthur nodded. "Oh, and did you get to talk to Dylas since your return? He has missed you very much." Frey nodded in response. "I suppose he didn't know what to do without his best friend at his side during these past few days." He lightly teased.
"What did he tell you?" The princess asked, wondering if she could get any more information than what Ventuswill gave her. Arthur thought for a moment. "Not much. He'd simply mention you whenever he, Porcoline, Margaret, and I ate together. And whenever one of us mentioned you, he'd always say he misses you. He never said a lot, but we could feel it. I could see very well that he was upset. I had never seen him so unhappy about something before." He explained with slight concern. "I assure you that he is very happy now that you're back, though."
"I didn't know he could get like that, either." Frey admitted in surprise. "At least the wait is over now, though. I'll spend as much time with him as he wants." She smiled. "Maybe I'll go see him at the restaurant right now."
Arthur nodded in agreement. "A good idea. I've got to continue with this paperwork now, anyway. I'll see you later, princess." He waved as she left his study, looking back down at his papers.
"Ah, wait, Frey." He interjected before she had completely left. "Hmm?" She questioned, looking back at him.
"Just watch out for Porcoline, okay?" he cautioned. Frey raised a brow in confusion. "Dylas wasn't the only person in town who missed you a lot." Arthur ended with a nervous chuckle.
"Gotcha, thanks, Arthur." The princess opened the door to enter the restaurant Porcoline owned to give Dylas a visit. Little did she know she'd be caught up in a tight embrace the moment she made it inside.